First Records of Aedeomyia squamipennis in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA.

Abstract

Continuous surveillance, trained personnel, and coordination with other agencies are critical elements of effective nuisance and vector mosquito control. Palm Beach County Mosquito Control, FL, has used routine surveillance to make control decisions and note changes in mosquito populations since the 1940s. In the fall and winter of 2021-2022, Palm Beach County Mosquito Control's surveillance program detected the presence of Aedeomyia squamipennis. This represented the first collection of specimens of Ad. squamipennis in Palm Beach County and the second finding of this species beyond the initial site of detection in Miami-Dade County, FL. Identity was confirmed by morphology and DNA sequencing. Sequenced Ad. squamipennis specimens collected in Palm Beach County were identical (100% sequence similarity) to specimens collected and sequenced from Homestead, Miami-Dade County in 2016. It is suspected that Ad. squamipennis has expanded its range northward from Miami-Dade County into Palm Beach County, a distance of approximately 140 km.