(MENAFN) For the first time on record, mosquitoes have been discovered in Iceland, a country long known for being one of the world’s few mosquito-free zones. The finding comes after the island experienced unusually high temperatures this spring, breaking several heat records.


According to local media, insect enthusiast Bjorn Hjaltason encountered the insects while conducting nighttime observations of moths using wine-soaked ropes. Over several evenings, he captured two female mosquitoes and one male, which were later confirmed to be Culiseta annulata — a hardy species capable of surviving cold winters.

Prior to this discovery, Iceland and Antarctica were considered the only two places on Earth without mosquitoes, thanks to Iceland’s frigid climate and limited stagnant water sources, which hinder breeding. The insects were found in Kjós, a glacial valley southwest of Reykjavik.

Sharing his discovery on a local wildlife Facebook page, Hjaltason described spotting “a strange fly on a red wine ribbon.” He added, “I could tell right away that this was something I had never seen before,” noting that “the last fortress seems to have fallen.”

To confirm the species, Hjaltason sent the samples to the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, where entomologist Matthías Alfreðsson verified their identity. He noted that Culiseta annulata is common across Europe and North Africa but said it remains uncertain how the species reached Iceland.

Experts say Iceland’s unusually warm weather this year likely contributed to the mosquitoes’ arrival. The country typically sees temperatures below 20°C (68°F) in May, but this year heatwaves lasted more than ten days in some regions, and the country recorded its highest May temperature ever — 26.6°C (79.8°F) at Egilsstaðir Airport.

A study by the Global Heat Health Information Network warned that such temperature shifts could significantly disrupt fragile ecosystems that evolved in cold conditions. Scientists have already confirmed that last year was the hottest in recorded history and that human activity has “unequivocally” warmed the planet’s land, oceans, and atmosphere.

Alfreðsson emphasized that more observation will be needed in spring to determine whether the species has become permanently established in Iceland. Hjaltason, meanwhile, speculated that the mosquitoes may have arrived via shipping routes. “One always suspects Grundartangi — it’s only about six kilometers from me, and things often arrive with ships and containers, so it’s possible something came in that way,” he said. “But if three of them came straight into my garden, there were probably more.”

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