Pets from COVID‐19 owners were screened for SARS‐CoV‐2 (April‐May 2020). From 23 pets, an asymptomatic cat showed positive RT‐qPCRs results from oropharyngeal swab (negative rectal swab). Remaining pets were negative. This suggests that cats can contract the virus from their infected owners and may act as potential hosts for SARS‐CoV‐2. Their role in carrying live or infectious viruses and disseminating them needs more investigation.

Aedes japonicus is an invasive vector mosquito from Southeast Asia which has been spreading across central Europe since the year 2000. Unlike the Asian Tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) present in Spain since 2004, there has been no record of Ae. japonicus in the country until now. Here, we report the first detection of Ae. japonicus in Spain, at its southernmost location in Europe. This finding was triggered by the citizen science platform Mosquito Alert. In June 2018, a citizen sent a report via the Mosquito Alert app from the municipality of Siero in the Asturias region (NW Spain) containing pictures of a female mosquito compatible with Ae. japonicus. Further information was requested from the participant, who subsequently provided several larvae and adults that could be classified as Ae. japonicus. In July, a field mission confirmed its presence at the original site and in several locations up to 9 km away, suggesting a long-time establishment. The strong media impact in Asturias derived from the discovery raised local participation in the Mosquito Alert project, resulting in further evidence from surrounding areas. Whilst in the laboratory Ae. japonicus is a competent vector for several mosquito-borne pathogens, to date only West Nile virus is a concern based on field evidence. Nonetheless, this virus has yet not been detected in Asturias so the vectorial risk is currently considered low. The opportunity and effectiveness of combining citizen-sourced data to traditional surveillance methods are discussed.

Ten years have gone by since the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus was recorded for the first time in Spain. In this paper, all relevant published information about this vector in Spain for the period 2004–2014 is reviewed. The known distribution for 2014 is provided, including all historical records (published and unpublished data) and the results from samplings of the last year. The consequences on public health about the presence of the Asian tiger mosquito in Spain are also highlighted. Further, legal aspects and control plans related to the management and diseases transmitted by this invasive vector species are also discussed.

Correct mosquito species identification is essential for mosquito and disease control programs. However, this is complicated by the difficulties in morphologically identifying some mosquito species. In this study, variation of a partial sequence of the cytochromecoxidase unit I (COI) gene was used for the molecular identification of British mosquito species and to facilitate the discovery of cryptic diversity, and monitoring invasive species. Three DNA extraction methods were compared to obtain DNA barcodes from adult specimens. In total, we analyzed 42 species belonging to the generaAedesMeigen, 1818 (21 species),AnophelesMeigen, 1818 (7 species),CoquillettidiaTheobald, 1904 (1 species),CulexLinnaeus, 1758 (6 species),CulisetaFelt, 1904 (7 species), andOrthopodomyiaTheobald, 1904 (1 species). Intraspecific genetic divergence ranged from 0% to 5.4%, while higher interspecific divergences were identified betweenAedesgeminusPeus, 1971/Culisetalitorea(Shute, 1928) (24.6%) andAe.geminus/An.plumbeusStephens, 1828 (22.5%). Taxonomic discrepancy was shown betweenAn.daciaeLinton, Nicolescu & Harbach, 2004 andAn.messeaeFalleroni, 1828 indicating the poor resolution of theCOIDNA barcoding region in separating these taxa. Other species such asAe.cantans(Meigen, 1818)/Ae.annulipes(Meigen, 1830) showed similar discrepancies indicating some limitation of this genetic marker to identify certain mosquito species. The combination of morphology and DNA barcoding is an effective approach for the identification of British mosquitoes, for invasive mosquitoes posing a threat to the UK, and for the detection of hidden diversity within species groups.

The Mosquito Alert dataset includes occurrence records of adult mosquitoes collected worldwide in 2014–2020 through Mosquito Alert, a citizen science system for investigating and managing disease-carrying mosquitoes. Records are linked to citizen science-submitted photographs and validated by entomologists to determine the presence of five targeted European mosquito vectors: Aedes albopictus, Ae. aegypti, Ae. japonicus, Ae. koreicus, and Culex pipiens. Most records are from Spain, reflecting Spanish national and regional funding, but since autumn 2020 substantial records from other European countries are included, thanks to volunteer entomologists coordinated by the AIM-COST Action, and to technological developments to increase scalability. Among other applications, the Mosquito Alert dataset will help develop citizen science-based early warning systems for mosquito-borne disease risk. It can also be reused for modelling vector exposure risk, or to train machine-learning detection and classification routines on the linked images, to assist with data validation and establishing automated alert systems.

Human and animal vector-borne diseases, particularly mosquito-borne diseases, are emerging or re-emerging worldwide. Six Aedes invasive mosquito (AIM) species were introduced to Europe since the 1970s: Aedes aegypti, Ae. albopictus, Ae. japonicus, Ae. koreicus, Ae. atropalpus and Ae. triseriatus. Here, we report the results of AIMSurv2020, the first pan-European surveillance effort for AIMs. Implemented by 42 volunteer teams from 24 countries. And presented in the form of a dataset named “AIMSurv Aedes Invasive Mosquito species harmonized surveillance in Europe. AIM-COST Action. Project ID: CA17108”. AIMSurv2020 harmonizes field surveillance methodologies for sampling different AIMs life stages, frequency and minimum length of sampling period, and data reporting. Data include minimum requirements for sample types and recommended requirements for those teams with more resources. Data are published as a Darwin Core archive in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility- Spain, comprising a core file with 19,130 records (EventID) and an occurrences file with 19,743 records (OccurrenceID). AIM species recorded in AIMSurv2020 were Ae. albopictus, Ae. japonicus and Ae. koreicus, as well as native mosquito species.