Abstract
Aedes albopictus is an invasive mosquito that has colonized several European countries as well as Portugal, where it was detected for the first time in 2017. To increase the knowledge of Ae. albopictus population dynamics, a survey was carried out in the municipality of Loulé, Algarve, a Southern temperate region of Portugal, throughout 2019, with Biogents Sentinel traps (BGS traps) and ovitraps. More than 19,000 eggs and 400 adults were identified from May 9 (week 19) and December 16 (week 50). A positive correlation between the number of females captured in the BGS traps and the number of eggs collected in ovitraps was found. The start of activity of A. albopictus in May corresponded to an average minimum temperature above 13.0 °C and an average maximum temperature of 26.2 °C. The abundance peak of this A. albopictus population was identified from September to November. The positive effect of temperature on the seasonal activity of the adult population observed highlight the importance of climate change in affecting the occurrence, abundance, and distribution patterns of this species. The continuously monitoring activities currently ongoing point to an established population of A. albopictus in Loulé, Algarve, in a dispersion process to other regions of Portugal and raises concern for future outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases associated with this invasive mosquito species.
Highlights
Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1894) is an invasive mosquito species of major concern to public health because of its vector role in the transmission of several arboviruses, such as chikungunya, dengue, and Zika [1].In recent decades, A. albopictus has spread throughout the world and is found on all continents except Antarctica [2]
Portugal has always been on the list of the most likely regions for introducing and establishing A. albopictus [2], and, as expected, in 2017, two independent introduction events were reported for the first time [8,9]
The first sign of A. albopictus activity was on May 9 and the last sign was on December 16 when the last specimens of 2019 were collected in the BGS traps
Summary
Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1894) is an invasive mosquito species of major concern to public health because of its vector role in the transmission of several arboviruses, such as chikungunya, dengue, and Zika [1]. A. albopictus has spread throughout the world and is found on all continents except Antarctica [2]. This worldwide successful expansion has been promoted mainly by human trade via passive transport of eggs on used tires and ornamental plants such as “lucky bamboo” together with passive transportation of adult mosquitoes by public and private ground transport from heavily infested areas [3,4]. Portugal has always been on the list of the most likely regions for introducing and establishing A. albopictus [2], and, as expected, in 2017, two independent introduction events were reported for the first time [8,9].
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