KJÓS/WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) – Many find them primarily annoying, but their role in ecology should not be underestimated: mosquitoes. A research team in the journal “Science” sees the discovery of some specimens on the volcanic and ice island of Iceland as an indicator of major biological change in the Arctic.
As the Arctic warms and greater human activity occurs, mosquitoes and other arthropods are moving in new ways and at new scales in the region. This has major consequences for the entire environment in the Arctic, write the two authors in the “Science” article. In addition to insects, arthropods also include spiders, millipedes and crabs.
Mosquitoes discovered for the first time in Iceland in 2025
In October 2025, three ring flies (Culiseta annulata) were discovered in Kjós, about 50 kilometers north of the Icelandic capital Reykjavík. According to the Icelandic Institute of Natural Sciences, this was the first discovery of mosquitoes on the island. It therefore joins a growing number of new insect species that have recently been identified in the country.
It is uncertain whether the mosquito has settled permanently in Iceland, the institute said in a statement. However, everything indicates that the species, which is also native to Germany, can survive under Icelandic conditions.
Arctic is warming extremely quickly
The authors of the “Science” article write that the Arctic is warming four times as fast as the rest of the world. “Snow is melting earlier, summers are getting longer, and disruptions like wildfires are occurring more frequently.” US scientists Amanda Koltz (University of Texas) and Lauren E. Culler (Dartmouth College in Hanover) emphasize that all of this has consequences for the birds and reindeer that live there.
If, for example, the occurrence of insects peaks due to climatic changes before the chicks of the birds that breed there have hatched, there will not be enough food for the latter. Reindeer suffer from increased insect bites, which increases their energy consumption and thus, among other things, affects their reproduction. The authors advocate better coordination of the observation of mosquitoes and other arthropods in the Arctic./arn/DP/zb
