DETECTION OF AEDES SCAPULARIS IN SOUTHWESTERN FLORIDA

Aedes scapularis has recently been detected for the first time in southwestern Florida. During the course of research and surveillance activities by local mosquito control districts in 2020 and 2021, a total of 190 adult females were collected from 14 separate locations in Collier and Lee Counties. To date, Ae. scapularis has been found in 5 counties since its rediscovery in Florida in 2006. Its detection and likely northward expansion into Collier and Lee Counties from the southern Florida Peninsula is in line with ecological niche model predictions that found the environment of the Gulf Coast of southwestern Florida to be highly suitable for the species. Due to its potential ability to transmit both exotic and endemic pathogens such as Everglades virus and Dirofilaria immitis, understanding the range and distribution of Ae. scapularis should be a priority for Florida mosquito control and public health agencies.