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The arbovirus vector Culex torrentium is more prevalent than Culex pipiens in northern and central Europe
Author(s) -
HESSON J. C.,
RETTICH F.,
MERDIĆ E.,
VIGNJEVIĆ G.,
ÖSTMAN Ö.,
SCHÄFER M.,
SCHAFFNER F.,
FOUSSADIER R.,
BESNARD G.,
MEDLOCK J.,
SCHOLTE E.J.,
LUNDSTRÖM J. O.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
medical and veterinary entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2915
pISSN - 0269-283X
DOI - 10.1111/mve.12024
Subject(s) - biology , culex pipiens , enzootic , arbovirus , dominance (genetics) , ecology , zoology , vector (molecular biology) , larva , virus , virology , biochemistry , gene , recombinant dna
Two species of arbovirus vector, Culex torrentium and Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae), occur in several E uropean countries, but difficulties in their accurate identification and discrimination have hampered both detailed and large‐scale distribution and abundance studies. Using a molecular identification method, we identified to species 2559 larvae of Cx. pipiens/torrentium collected from 138 sites in 13 E uropean countries ranging from S candinavia to the M editerranean coast. In addition, samples of 1712 males of Cx. pipiens/torrentium collected at several sites in the C zech R epublic were identified to species based on the morphology of their hypopygia. We found that the two species occur together in large areas of E urope, and that Cx. torrentium dominates in northern E urope and Cx. pipiens dominates south of the A lps. The transition in dominance occurs in central E urope, where both species are roughly equally common. There was a strong correlation between the length of the growing season at different sites and occurrences of the two species. As the growing season increases, the proportion and detection of Cx. torrentium decrease, whereas those of Cx. pipiens increase. The present findings have important consequences for the interpretation of the results of studies on major enzootic and link‐vectors of mosquito‐borne bird‐associated viruses (i.e. S indbis, W est N ile and U sutu viruses), especially in central E urope and S candinavia.