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The so-called underground mosquito, which gets its name from the insect’s rich presence in the London Underground system, is widespread in much of Gothenburg. Furthermore, it is found in the north of Malmö, in Sollebrunn in Västergötland and Hörby in Skåne, according to a new study from the Swedish Veterinary Institute (SVA).
– The species is more widespread than we knew, says Tobias Lilja, a researcher at SVA.
The mosquito is known to bite people indoors. It was found in 2016 after complaints from infected Gothenburgers. The species is difficult to distinguish from the more common and closely related southern house mosquito.
– These are two variants of a species, in which people who have stayed indoors in urban settings have been disturbed.
In 2017, SVA came out and encouraged the Swedes to catch mosquitoes. The authority received more than 3,200 mosquitoes. These were ordered by species, then the DNA of 111 mosquitoes was analyzed to be able to distinguish subway mosquitoes from southern house mosquitoes.
– We asked the public to trap mosquitoes in containers and then freeze them to death. That way they could be sent to us in good condition. However, we were also killed by mosquitoes, and in any case it was possible to analyze the DNA, says Tobias Lilja.
Jesper Karlsson / TT
When a journalist contacted researcher Anders Lindström about a new mosquito variant, he had to come up with a name. The first thing that came up when you Googled Culex pipiens annoyus is a Wikipedia article on “London Underground Mosquito”. That’s why he chose the subway mosquito.
The occurrence in the London Underground system was discovered when the mosquito plagued Londoners who took refuge during the lightning strikes of World War II.
Source: SVT / Anders Lindström, mosquito researcher at the Swedish Veterinary Institute
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