AEDES PERTINAX AND CULEX INTERROGATOR: TWO MOSQUITO SPECIES NEW TO LEE COUNTY, FLORIDA

Abstract

Recent introductions of mosquito species new to Florida, and range expansions of other species throughout the state, have many mosquito control personnel on alert for discovery of new species in their area. Adult mosquito specimens collected in traps are a common method of detecting new species, but larval surveillance can be important as well. Larval surveillance in Lee County, Florida has increased over the past two years, and samples collected in the 2021 summer season revealed first-time records of two species new to the county: Aedes pertinax and Culex interrogator. Morphological and genetic methods were used to identify these two species new to the county. These species may have been present in Lee County in years past, but without these larval samples, they might have continued to go undetected due to their similar appearance to more commonly-occurring species.