Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 May 16;9(1):284.
doi: 10.1186/s13071-016-1566-6.

First record of the Asian bush mosquito, Aedes japonicus japonicus, in Italy: invasion from an established Austrian population

Bernhard Seidel  1   2 , Fabrizio Montarsi  3 , Hartwig P Huemer  4   5 , Alexander Indra  5 , Gioia Capelli  3 , Franz Allerberger  5 , Norbert Nowotny  6   7
Affiliations

First record of the Asian bush mosquito, Aedes japonicus japonicus, in Italy: invasion from an established Austrian population

Bernhard Seidel et al. Parasit Vectors. .

Abstract

Background: In 2011 we identified the Asian bush mosquito, Aedes japonicus japonicus (Theobald, 1901) (Diptera: Culicidae) for the first time in northern Slovenia and in the bordering Austrian federal state of Styria. Between May and July 2012 the distribution area of Ae. j. japonicus was already found to be extended westwards into Carinthia and eastwards towards Burgenland and bordering Hungary. In August 2012 the species was first detected in a western province of Hungary. In subsequent years, follow-up field studies demonstrated an active spread westwards throughout Carinthia, reaching the border to northern Italy.

Findings: In July 2015 several aquatic-stage specimens of the species were discovered at three different sites in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, north-eastern Italy. In September 2015, co-occurrence of Ae. j. japonicus and Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1895) was observed in the same sample in that region.

Conclusions: Ae. j. japonicus actively extended its geographic range from an established population in Carinthia (Austria) southwards to northern Italy by crossing Alpine ranges. Since Ae. albopictus and Aedes koreicus (Edwards, 1917) are already well established in northern Italy, it will be pivotal to monitor the consequences of a third invasive mosquito species trying to populate the same geographic region.

Keywords: Active spread; Aedes albopictus; Aedes japonicus; Asian bush mosquito; Asian tiger mosquito; Co-occurrence; First record; Invasive mosquito species; Italy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Temporal and spatial spreading of Aedes japonicus japonicus from its introduction site from Slovenia to Austria in 2011 to northern Italy in 2015
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Seidel B, Duh D, Nowotny N, Allerberger F. First record of the mosquitoes Aedes (Ochlerotatus) japonicus japonicus (Theobald, 1901) in Austria and Slovenia 2011 and for Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse, 1895) in Austria. Entomol Zeitschrift. 2012;122:223–6.
    1. Medlock JM, Hansford KM, Schaffner F, Versteirt V, Hendrickx G, Zeller H, Van Bortel W. Review of the invasive mosquitoes in Europe: ecology, public health risks, and control options. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2012;12:435–47. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2011.0814. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Schaffner F, Chouin S, Guilloteau J. First record of Ochlerotatus (Finlaya) japonicus japonicus (Theobald, 1901) in metropolitan France. J Am Mosq Cont Ass. 2003;19:1–5. - PubMed
    1. Schaffner F, Kaufmann C, Hegglin D, Mathis A. The invasive mosquito Aedes japonicus in Central Europe. Med Vet Entomol. 2009;23:448–51. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2915.2009.00825.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Versteirt V, Schaffner F, Garros C, Dekoninck W, Coosemans C, Van Bortel W. Introduction and establishment of the exotic mosquito species Aedes japonicus japonicus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Belgium. J Med Entomol. 2009;46:1464–7. doi: 10.1603/033.046.0632. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources