A study by the Hunting Resources Research Institute (IREC), snow mosquito (Aedes refiki) at Ciudad Real, which emphasizes progressiveness adaptation of this mosquito to increasingly warmer environments.
According to IREC sources, the snow mosquito is a species of Palearctic mosquito that can be found in Europe from the Iberian Peninsula to Turkey and from Italy to Sweden, although it is a species that usually lives in cold regions with heavy snowfall.
This species takes advantage of spring meltwater to complete its life cycle in pools of crystal clear water.
It is a rare species even in cold regions and is expected to become less common with global warming, but its finding in Ciudad Real It shows the great adaptive capacity of this species to the environment.
The study, conducted by the Health and Biotechnology Research Group’s (SaBio) Vector Pathogen Ecology Research Team (EPaVec) in conjunction with the Clinical Virology and Zoonosis Group of the Córdoba Maimonides Biomedical Research Institute (IMIBIC), found this mosquito in Parque Forestal de La Atalaya in the capital city of Ciudad Real.
This is the southernmost record of the Iberian Peninsula. and conducted in May 2021, suggesting that contrary to expectations, snow mosquitoes can adapt to warm environments.
Ciudad Real, lack of snow
Snow in Ciudad Real is very scarce and rarely (every 5 to 15 years) lasts more than a day covering the ground. Even storm Filomena that hit Castilla-La Mancha in January 2021 didn’t bring enough snow around Ciudad Real to leave long-lasting crystal-clear puddles for the species.
This finding shows that even mosquito species that adapt to cold climates can adapt to changing conditions in order to survive.
Studies focusing on this species are few, and it is unknown whether it is like its invasive relatives. oh albopictus, Ae. japonicus Y oh koreanit can also transmit diseases such as dengue, Zika, Chikungunya or yellow fever.
Moreover, snow mosquito is a very aggressive speciesThe study’s authors cautioned that it feeds on the blood of mammals, including humans, so its distribution needs to be studied in more detail, particularly in urban and urban environmental settings.
This study includes vigilance against mosquito bites and taking preventive measures such as avoiding mosquito bites as much as possible during peak mosquito activity hours (dawn and dusk); wear full-body clothing, apply topical repellents, and use barriers such as mosquito nets to prevent them from entering homes, especially around La Atalaya Forest Park in Ciudad Real.
Reference work: https://bmczool.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40850-022-00124-x
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Source: Informacion
