Mosquitoes have been discovered in Iceland for the first time, as rising global temperatures make the country more suitable for insects.

Until this month, Iceland was one of the few places in the world without a mosquito population, alongside Antarctica.

Scientists had long predicted that mosquitoes could eventually establish themselves in Iceland, which offers ideal breeding habitats such as marshes and ponds.

While many species cannot withstand the island’s cold climate, Iceland is warming at four times the rate of the rest of the northern hemisphere.

Glaciers are collapsing, and fish from warmer regions, such as mackerel, have been found in Icelandic waters.

As the planet heats up, more mosquito species are spreading worldwide. In the UK, eggs of the Egyptian mosquito (Aedes aegypti) were found earlier this year, and the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) has been detected in Kent — both invasive species known to transmit tropical diseases like dengue, chikungunya, and Zika virus.

Matthías Alfreðsson, an entomologist at the Natural Science Institute of Iceland, confirmed the discovery after identifying the insects sent to him by a citizen scientist.

“Three specimens of Culiseta annulata were found in Kiðafell, Kjós, two females and one male. They were all collected from wine ropes during wine roping aimed at attracting moths,” he said.

The species is known to be cold-resistant and can survive Icelandic winters by sheltering in basements and barns.

The mosquitoes were first spotted by Björn Hjaltason, who shared his finding on the Facebook group Insects in Iceland.

“At dusk on October 16, I caught sight of a strange fly on a red wine ribbon,” Björn said, referring to the trap he uses to attract insects. “I immediately suspected what was going on and quickly collected the fly. It was a female.”

He caught two more and sent them to the science institute, where they were officially identified.