Mosquitoes found in Iceland for first time

Mosquitoes have been found in Iceland for the first time after the country experienced record-breaking heat this spring.

Insect enthusiast Bjorn Hjaltason encountered the mosquitoes over several nights last week while using wine-soaked ropes to observe moths, local media reported.

Mr Hjaltason found two female mosquitoes and one male which were later confirmed to be Culiseta annulata, one of few species that can successfully survive winter.

Iceland was one of only two mosquito-free havens in the world prior to the discovery, partly due to its cold climate. The only other recorded mosquito-free zone is Antarctica.

The mosquitoes were found in Kjós, a glacial valley to the South West of the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik.

Mr Hjaltason shared the news of his discovery on a Facebook page for local wildlife alongside pictures of the insects, describing “a strange fly on a red wine ribbon”, according to Icelandic media.

“I could tell right away that this was something I had never seen before” he said in the post, which was screenshotted and shared by Iceland’s Morgunblaðið news site, adding “the last fortress seems to have fallen.”

Mr Hjaltason sent the insects to the Icelandic Institute of Natural History to be identified, where entomologist Matthías Alfreðsson confirmed his suspicions.