Mosquitos on the News !

The study by the GEDA on the tiger mosquito went on the local news here 

New Publication on Tiger Mosquito presence !

Sanz-Aguilar, A., Rosselló, R, Bengoa, M, Ruiz-Pérez, M., Barceló, C., Borrás, D., Paredes-Esquivel, C., Miranda, M.-A. and Tavecchia, G., 2018. Water associated with residential areas and tourist resorts is the key predictor of Asian tiger mosquito presence on a Mediterranean island. Medical and Veterinary Entomology, doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12317

 

Abstract: The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae), is a highly invasive species and a vector of several viruses of serious concern to public health. Investigating the habitat selection of this species at small to medium scales is essential to the planning of effective prevention and control campaigns.

The present group considered detailed data for this species' presence/absence collected at 228 sites on Mallorca Island (Spain) in autumn 2015, 3 years after the first detection of the species on the island. Site occupancy models accounting for false negative detections and imperfect monitoring were used to evaluate the relationships between mosquito presence and habitat variables. In the study area, mosquito presence was negatively associated with altitude, probably as a result of greater human presence at low altitudes near the coast. 

Moreover, the presence of Ae. albopictus was positively associated with swimming pools as a result of associated gardens, plants and sources of fresh water. These two variables were combined to predict the presence of the species across the entire island.

The publication has been noticed by many journals. You can find a press release in Spanish and the list of the other notes here

Caught on camera !

A previous work by Ana Sanz-Aguilar (here) has showed that a small number of highly specialized gulls was responsible for the observed predation at a colony of an European Storm Petrel. Selective culling directed to these individuals improved petrel breeding sucess and survival, an indication that massive culling plans might well miss the target. Ten years after, Ana found some new kids in town ... and this time she took them on camera!