A researcher has discovered a mosquito species new to Finland in Pori, along the country's western coast.
Helsinki University virology researcher Lorna Culverwell discovered the species Culex modestu, making it the 44th mosquito variety found in Finland to date.
It was also the northernmost spotting of the species in Europe, according to the university, which added that the blood-sucker has also been seen in Russia's Leningrad Province and in Skåne, Sweden.
However, in Finland, not many sightings of the insect have been confirmed.
"Only one specimen of this species was found, but I believe it to be unlikely that it would be the only one of its species in Finland," Culverwell explained in a press release.
The specimen was found among mosquito samples that Culverwell collected along the country's coasts last summer.
But that one specimen is still an important finding, according to the researcher. Gaining knowledge about various types of mosquitoes and their distributions helps researchers better understand how the insects could possibly carry or spread pathogens.
West Nile virus
The species in question, Culex modestu, is known to spread West Nile virus in southern Europe. The virus is spread between birds and humans or birds to horses, according to Culverwell.
West Nile virus usually only causes mild infections in humans, causing symptoms like headache, fever and muscle pain. However, the virus can potentially cause neurological disease in some cases.
Culverwell says no cases of West Nile have been recorded in Finland and Finns shouldn't be concerned, but it is important to track these things.
"Knowing potential mosquito-borne diseases that these species are linked to elsewhere in the world helps us to better investigate how likely it would be for these infections to occur in the future," Culverwell said in the release.
She noted that more research on bird and mosquito populations is needed.
"A solid foundation of mosquito research in Finland is important because climate change will likely alter the number of mosquito species in the longer-term. Some may die out, but the chance of species from further south invading Finland will increase if the climate warms and winters become milder," she said.
Culverwell has published a report about the discovery in the scientific Journal of the European Mosquito Control Association.