| Abstrakt: |
Aedes koreicus(Edward, 1917) (Diptera: Culicidae), a mosquito species native to East Asia, has spread to parts of Europe and Central Asia since 2008. The species shares ecological characteristics with Aedes japonicus(Theobald, 1901) (Diptera: Culicidae), which has already successfully invaded and established in North America and Europe. Given these similarities, it is plausible that Ae. koreicusmay also invade North America in the future. However, the invasion of Ae. koreicusmay be masked or have delayed detection due to their similar morphologies with Ae. japonicus. This study highlights the potential risks of invasion of Ae. koreicusinto North America, especially in the northeastern United States, and for further expansion in Europe. We used the maximum entropy model to identify areas with a high likelihood of presence in North America and Europe using comprehensive occurrence records from East Asia, Central Asia, and Europe. We have identified 15 additional countries in Europe and 7 states in the United States that will likely have suitable environments for Ae. koreicus. Additionally, we reviewed the morphological characteristics of Ae. koreicusand Ae. japonicusand provided morphological keys to distinguish the 2 species. Morphological results contradicting previous studies suggested that finding the origin by morphological comparison between Ae. koreicuspopulations may need re-evaluation. The information presented here will be useful for researchers and public health professionals in high-risk areas to be informed about morphological characteristics to distinguish Ae. koreicusfrom similar-looking Ae. japonicus.These tools will allow more careful monitoring of the potential introduction of this highly invasive species. |
