Aedes albopictus recordings in Cyprus based on information provided by citizens and experts

Angeliki F Martinou; Katerina Athanasiou; Ioanna Angelidou; Jakovos Demetriou; Maria Christou; Marios Georgiou

doi:10.15468/sperfd

Aedes albopictus recordings in Cyprus based on information provided by citizens and experts

Citation

Martinou A F, Athanasiou K, Angelidou I, Demetriou J, Christou M, Georgiou M, Dillen M (2023). Aedes albopictus recordings in Cyprus based on information provided by citizens and experts. Version 1.7. Meise Botanic Garden. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/sperfd accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-12-12.

Description

Two specimens of black and white mosquitoes were provided to the Cyprus Institute/Joint Services Health Unit team. The mosquito specimens were collected on 28/7/2022 and 29/07/2022 from Agios Ioannis Limassol and Livadia Pitsilias in Nicosia by citizen-scientists members of the Aedes watch out network, who follow The Three Mosquiteers project on social media. Both specimens were examined at the Joint Services Health Unit laboratory but they were not in a good condition, making morphological identification to species level impossible. Photographic records of the specimens were also sent to Francis Schaffner Consultancy Switzerland, but it was not possible to identify the species from the photographic records either. Two types of mosquito traps (BG sentinel traps with BG lure-Biogents, Regensburg, Germany but also EVS CO2-Bioquip, US) were provided to the members of the citizen science network in Limassol and mosquitoes were trapped. Human Landing Catches (HLCs) were also performed by the members of the entomological team. The first specimens and selected samples were sent to the National Museum of Natural History in Luxembourg where all the specimens from Limassol were identified as Aedes albopictus by Dr Alexander Weigand while the specimen from Nicosia was identified as Aedes cretinus. Aedes cretinus is a native species to the Mediterranean and till 2022 it was the only species collected by citizen scientists in Cyprus (Martinou et al. 2017;2021; Yetismis et al. 2022). Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti were predicted to arrive in Cyprus in the next ten years, during two horizon scanning exercises that took place in 2018 and 2019 (Peyton et al. 2019; Peyton et al. 2020). By the end of October 2022 we had records from 6 sites in Limassol for Aedes albopictus with new records arising daily. Specimens are collected and stored at -80°C at the Joint Services Health Unit. Given the recent introduction of Aedes albopictus and the re-introduction or re-emergence of Aedes aegypti it is imperative that all the public health authorities take eradication measures as soon as possible against the two invasive mosquitoes and work together on an island wide eradication plan (Martinou & Roy, 2018; Martinou et al. 2020)

Sampling Description

Study Extent

The current dataset is from the 27th of July 2022- till the 29th October of 2022 and it contains records of Aedes albopictus from the city of Limassol, Cyprus. Including the first record of Aedes albopictus for the island of Cyprus.

Sampling

Three methods were used: human landing catches, adult mosquito trapping using BG sentinel traps with BG lure and EVS- CO2 traps. BG sentinel traps with BG lure are known to attract Aedes invasive mosquitoes. They are safe to be used by citizens and can prevent spreading eggs to new locations that might occur if ovitraps (the other alternative trap that is used for Aedes spp. surveillance) are not handled well.

Method steps

See references.

Taxonomic Coverages

The sampling focus for this dataset was invasive alien mosquitoes that belong to the genus Aedes

Aedes
rank: genus

Geographic Coverages

Cyprus

Bibliographic Citations

Martinou, A.F. and Roy, H.E. (2018). From local strategy to global frameworks: effects of invasive non-native species on health and well-being. Invasive Species and Human Health (Editor: Tricarico, E.) CABI Publishing -
Martinou, A.F., Schäfer, S.M., Bueno Mari, R., Angelidou, I, Erguler, K, Fawcett, J, Ferraguti, M, Foussadier, R, Gkotsi, T, Martinos, C, Schaefer, M, Schaffner, F, Peyton, J, Purse, BV, Wright, DJ, Roy, HE (2020). A call to arms: Setting the framework for a code of practice for mosquito management in European wetlandsJournal of Applied Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13631 - https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13631
Martinou, A.F., Fawcett, J., Georgiou, M., Angelidou, I., Philippou, M. & Schaffner, F. (2021) Occurrence of Aedes cretinus in Cyprus based on information collected by citizen scientists. Journal of the European Mosquito Control Association 39(1): 31-38. https://doi.org/10.52004/JEMCA2021.0002 - https://doi.org/10.52004/JEMCA2021.0002
Martinou, A.F.,Vaux, A., Bullivant, G., Charilaou, P., Hadjistyllis, H., Shawcross, K., Violaris, M., Schaffner, F., Medlock, J. (2017). Rediscovery of Aedes cretinus in Cyprus, 66 years after first and unique report. Journal of the European Mosquito Control Association 34, 10-13. http://e-m-b.org/node/1150 - http://e-m-b.org/node/1150
Peyton, J., Martinou, A.F., Pescott, O.L., Demetriou, M., Adriaens, T., Arianoutsou, M., Bazos, I., Bean, C.W., Booy, O., Botham, M., Britton, J.R., Lobon Cervia, J., Charilaou, P., Chartosia, N., Dean, H.J., Delipetrou, P., Dimitriou, A.C., Dörflinger, G., Fawcett, J., Fyttis, G., Galanidis, A., Galil, B., Hadjikyriakou, T., Hadjistylli, M., Ieronymidou, C., Jimenez, C., Karachle, P., Kassinis, N., Kerametsidis, G., Kirschel, A.N.G., Kleitou, P., Kleitou, D., Manolaki, P., Michailidis, N., Mountford, O.J., Nikolaou, C., Papatheodoulou, A., Payiatas, G., Ribeiro, F., Rorke, S.L., Samuel, Y., Savvides, P., Schafer, S.M., Tarkan, A.S., Silva-Rocha, I., Top, N., Tricarico, E., Turvey, K., Tziortzis, I., Tzirkalli, E., Verreycken, H., Winfield, I.J., Zenetos, A. and Roy, H.E., 2019. Horizon scanning for invasive alien species with the potential to threaten biodiversity and human health on a Mediterranean island. Biological Invasions 21: 2107-2125. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-019-01961-7 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-019-01961-7
Peyton, J.M., Martinou, A.F., Adriaens, T., Chartosia, N., Karachle, P.K., Rabitsch, W., Tricarico, E., Arianoutsou, M., Bacher, S., Bazos, I., Brundu, G., Bruno-McClung, E., Charalambidou, I., Demetriou, M., Galanidi, M., Galil, B., Guillem, R., Hadjiafxentis, K., Hadjioannou, L., Hadjistylli, M., Hall-Spencer, J.M., Jimenez, C., Johnstone, G., Kleitou, P., Kletou, D., Koukkoularidou, D., Leontiou, S., Maczey, N., Michailidis, N., Mountford, J.O., Papatheodoulou, A., Pescott, O.L., Phanis, C., Preda, C., Rorke, S., Shaw, R., Solarz, W., Taylor, C.D., Trajanovski, S., Tziortzis, I., Tzirkalli, E., Uludag, A., Vimercati, G., Zdraveski, K., Zenetos, A. and Roy, H.E., 2020. Horizon scanning to predict and prioritize invasive alien species with the potential to threaten human health and economies on Cyprus. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 8: 1-15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2020.566281 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2020.566281
Yetismis, K., Erguler, K., Angelidou, I., Yetismis, S., Fawcett, J., Foroma, E., Jarraud, N., Ozbel, Y. and Martinou, A.F. in press. Establishing the Aedes watch out network, the first island-wide mosquito citizen science initiative in Cyprus within the framework of the Mosquitoes Without Borders project. Management of Biological Invasions 13 -

Contacts

Angeliki F Martinou
originator
position: Head Entomologist
Joint Services Health Unit, British Forces Cyprus & The Cyprus Institute
CY
email: af.martinou@gmail.com
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2892-8583

Katerina Athanasiou
originator
Joint Services Health Unit, British Forces Cyprus

Ioanna Angelidou
originator
Enalia Physis Environmental Research Centre

Jakovos Demetriou
originator
Joint Services Health Unit, British Forces Cyprus

Maria Christou
originator
position: Volunteer

Marios Georgiou
originator
Joint Services Health Unit, British Forces Cyprus

Mathias Dillen
metadata author
position: Biodiversity Data Scientist
Meise Botanic Garden
BE
email: mathias.dillen@plantentuinmeise.be
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3973-1252

Mathias Dillen
user
email: mathias.dillen@plantentuinmeise.be

Angeliki F Martinou
administrative point of contact
position: Head Entomologist
Joint Services Health Unit, British Forces Cyprus & The Cyprus Institute
CY
email: af.martinou@gmail.com
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2892-8583