First record of Stegomyia albopicta (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae) in Germany

With the help of the international used tyre trade, the Asian tiger mosquito, Stegomyia albopicta, has been able to expand its range world-wide. In 1979, the species was recorded in Europe for the first time in Albania, and has since been reported in 14 European countries. In addition to its rapid spread, St. albopicta is of particular interest due to its vector capacity for certain infectious viral diseases. Due to the increasing threat of an introduction of St. albopicta from neighbouring countries, a national monitoring programme was initiated in Germany by KABS (German Mosquito Control Organization) in 2005. In addition to used tyre trading companies, sampling was carried out at container terminals at inland ports along the Rhine, terminals receiving trains from Italy, and rest areas and parking lots along the German highway A5 coming from the south. At the end of September 2007, five eggs from the non-indigenous species St. albopicta were found on oviposition substrate in an ovitrap in the southern section of this major north-south highway. This is the first report of this non-indigenous species in Germany and demonstrates that live adults can be transported over long distances within motor vehicles.