Mosquitoes Develop a Taste for Reptile Blood in the Galapagos

The evolution of mosquitoes in the Galapagos Islands spells trouble for reptiles including the iconic giant tortoise. While most mosquitoes prefer the blood of mammals, the black salt marsh mosquito has developed a taste for reptile blood, putting the islands’ unique native wildlife at risk of contracting new mosquito-borne diseases.

From Science Daily:

The research team believe the shift in feeding behaviour is an adaptation to life in Galapagos, since the islands had few mammal species prior to the arrival of Man some 500 years ago.

“When we started the work we thought that this species was also introduced by humans, so it was a surprise that it turned out to be so ancient,” says Arnaud Bataille, the University of Leeds and ZSL PhD student who carried out the work. “The genetic differences of the Galapagos mosquitoes from their mainland relatives are as large as those between different species, suggesting that the mosquito in Galapagos may be in the process of evolving into a new species.”

“With tourism growing so rapidly the chance of a disease-carrying mosquito hitching a ride from the mainland on a plane is also increasing, since the number of flights grows in line with visitor numbers” says Dr Andrew Cunningham, from the Zoological Society of London, one of the authors of the study. “If a new disease arrives via this route, the fear is that Galapagos’ own mosquitoes would pick it up and spread it throughout the archipelago.”

Because of their long history of being separated from creatures on the mainland, Galapagos Island wildlife doesn’t have the same immunity to new diseases, making it extremely vulnerable to complete devastation.

In an effort to keep mosquitoes from arriving in the Galapagos from other areas and spreading disease to the native mosquitoes, Ecuadorian officials have introduced a requirement for planes flying in to have a residual insecticide treatment on interior surfaces.

Link [Science Daily]
Photo credit: FireflyForest.net

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