Iceland reports the presence of mosquitoes for the first time, as climate warms

A Culiseta annulata mosquito, seen here in the United Kingdom's Stodmarsh Nature Reserve, as been found for the first time in Iceland. Robert Pickett/Alamy hide caption

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Robert Pickett/Alamy

Icelanders may be the last group of people on Earth to experience the pesky bite of a mosquito.

This week, Iceland recorded the presence of the insects within its borders for the first time in the Nordic nation's history.

The discovery of three Culiseta annulata mosquitoes was confirmed Monday by the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, which said the mosquitoes likely arrived by freight and appeared to be able to withstand Iceland's climate. (There have been previous reports of mosquitoes found in airplanes in Iceland.)

The institute noted that the mosquitoes were one of a number of new insect species discovered in Iceland in recent years due to a warming climate and the growth of international transportation.

Insect enthusiast Björn Hjaltason said he found the mosquitoes on a farm in Kjós, just north of Reykjavík, earlier this month.

"At dusk on the evening of October 16th, I caught sight of a strange fly on a red wine ribbon," Hjaltason told Icelandic broadcaster RUV. "I immediately suspected what was going on and quickly collected the fly. It was a female."

Hjaltason later trapped two more. All three insects were turned over to authorities for testing, which revealed that they were two female and one male mosquitoes.

Antarctica is now the only place in the world believed to have no mosquitoes.

Climate change is causing temperatures to rise across the world, and the Arctic region is warming at more than double the rate of the global average.

According to the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, the species Culiseta annulata are large mosquitoes present in Europe and other Nordic countries that can live in cold weather, usually finding shelter in outbuildings and basements.

Though they sting, the institute said they don't carry known infections in those areas. One study from 2017 said Culiseta annulata are often "regarded as a biting nuisance, rather than a deadly foe."

There are more than 3,000 species of mosquitoes around the world, some of which can transmit severe and even fatal diseases through their bites such as malaria, dengue fever and West Nile virus.