Scientists have confirmed the first-ever discovery of mosquitoes in Iceland, raising concerns about the impact of rising temperatures and climate change on the island’s fragile ecosystem.
The discovery follows an unusually hot spring that shattered temperature records across the country, a phenomenon experts warn could signal major environmental shifts in one of the world’s coldest nations.
Amateur insect enthusiast Bjorn Hjaltason made the discovery last week while observing moths using wine-soaked ropes in Kjós, a glacial valley southwest of the capital, Reykjavik.
According to local media, Hjaltason captured two female mosquitoes and one male, later identified as Culiseta annulata — one of the few mosquito species capable of surviving winter conditions.
Sharing the find on a local wildlife Facebook page, Hjaltason described noticing “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.”
Before now, Iceland was one of only two mosquito-free regions in the world — the other being Antarctica — thanks to its cold climate and lack of standing water suitable for mosquito breeding.
The insects were sent to the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, where entomologist Matthías Alfreðsson confirmed the species’ identity. He told CNN that Culiseta annulata is common across Europe and North Africa but said it remains unclear how the mosquitoes reached Iceland.
“Further monitoring will be needed next spring to determine if the mosquito species has truly become established in Iceland,” Alfreðsson said.
Experts attribute the new appearance of mosquitoes to Iceland’s shifting climate. Historically, temperatures in May rarely exceed 20°C and heatwaves typically last no longer than three days. This year, however, the country experienced 10 consecutive days above that mark, and recorded its hottest May day ever, reaching 26.6°C at Egilsstaðir Airport.
A June report by the Global Heat Health Information Network warned that such rapid warming could have “significant impacts” on cold-adapted ecosystems like Iceland’s.
Hjaltason speculated that the insects might have arrived via shipping containers, noting the nearby port of Grundartangi, roughly six kilometres from his home.
“One always suspects Grundartangi – it’s only about six kilometres 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.”
The discovery comes as scientists continue to document the global effects of climate change. Last year was the hottest on record worldwide, and the United Nations climate body has reaffirmed that human activity has “unequivocally” warmed the atmosphere, oceans, and land.
