Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus, commonly known as the Asian Tiger Mosquito, originated from South-East Asia, the Western Pacific and Indian islands. Over the last few decades it has spread across to Africa, the Middle East, Europe, the Americas and to the Eastern Pacific islands [1]. Like Aedes aegypti, eggs of Aedes albopictus can resist drying. However, Aedes albopictus mosquitoes are able to withstand lower temperatures than Ae. aegypti [2]. These traits have made it a highly invasive species. This is of huge public health importance given that the species is a competent vector of dengue, West Nile, yellow fever and chikungunya viruses.
- Kraemer MU, Reiner RC, Brady OJ, Messina JP, Gilbert M, Pigott DM, Yi D, Johnson K, Earl L, Marczak LB, Shirude S. Past and future spread of the arbovirus vectors Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Nature microbiology. 2019 May;4(5):854.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-019-0376-y - Reinhold JM, Lazzari CR, Lahondère C. Effects of the environmental temperature on Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes: a review. Insects. 2018 Dec;9(4):158
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6316560/