Confirmation of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae) in Greece

Abstract

The presence ofAedes albopictus (Skuse) was recently confirmed for the firsttime in Greece. During the last two years, a number of mosquito specimens were sent to our laboratory for identification, with the note that they were abundant and a nuisance in the northwest part of the country. The specimens were seriously damaged and problems were encountered during the process of morphological differentiation between Ae. albopictus and Aedes cretinus Edwards, two related species of the subgenus Stegomyia. Aedes cretinus is endemic in many parts ofGreece. Of the morphological characters that differentiate Ae. albopictus from Ae. cretinus, the only one visible in the specimens was the simple claws of the mid- and foretarsomeres, characterising Ae. albopictus. Molecular methods of DNA amplification for the nuclear internal transcribed spacer gene (ITS2) were applied to the specimens under investigation. The consequent DNA sequence confirmed that these specimens were Ae. albopictus. The findings of the present study are ofparticular interest due to the importance ofthis mosquito species for public health.