For the first time ever, mosquitoes have been found in Iceland after the country experienced record-breaking warmth this spring. Insect enthusiast Bjorn Hjaltason spotted the insects over several nights last week while using wine-soaked ropes to observe moths, local media reported.
He discovered two female mosquitoes and one male, later confirmed as Culiseta annulata, one of the few species able to survive Iceland’s harsh winters.
Before this finding, Iceland was one of only two mosquito-free regions in the world, alongside Antarctica, thanks to its cold climate. The mosquitoes were located in Kjós, a glacial valley southwest of Reykjavik.
Hjaltason shared the discovery on a local wildlife Facebook page, posting pictures and describing “a strange fly on a red wine ribbon.” He wrote, “I could tell right away that this was something I had never seen before… the last fortress seems to have fallen,” according to Morgunblaðið.
The insects were sent to the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, where entomologist Matthías Alfreðsson confirmed the identification.
