Bulelwa Hoala
- Scientists have confirmed Iceland’s first-ever discovery of mosquitoes, two females and one male, found in Kiðafell, Kjós.
- The insects were identified as Culiseta annulata, a species native to the Eastern Hemisphere and capable of surviving cold climates.
- The discovery follows Iceland’s record-breaking spring heat, ending its status as one of only two mosquito-free regions alongside Antarctica.
Scientists in Iceland this week announced the discovery of three mosquitoes, two female mosquitoes and one male, for the first time ever.
According to CNN, the mosquitoes were captured on 16 October 2025, in Kiðafell, Kjós, in western Iceland by Björn Hjaltason and Matthías Alfreðsson, an entomologist at the Natural Science Institute of Iceland.
“At dusk on October 16, I caught sight of a strange fly on a red wine ribbon.”
“I could tell right away that this was something I had never seen before,” Hjaltason shared on a local Facebook group.
They identified the mosquitoes to be from the Culiseta annulata, a species native to the Eastern Hemisphere, namely North Africa and northern Siberia.
The BBC reports that before the discovery, Iceland and Antarctica were the only two places in the world with no mosquitoes due to their cold climate.
It is speculated that the mosquito arrived in Iceland via ships or containers.
Alfreðsson told CNN that a mosquito of a different species was once captured on an airplane in Keflavík International Airport, but this was the first time the insects were found in Iceland’s natural environment.
Mosquitoes are known to be insects that thrive in heat and humidity, and in May, Iceland experienced its hottest day ever with temperatures reaching 26.6 °C at Eglisstaðir Airport.
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