Short communication: New report of Aedes albopictus in Souk Ahras, Northeast Algeria

Kaouther Hamaidia (Department of Biology, Faculty of Nature and Life Sciences, Mohamed Cherif Messaadia University. Souk Ahras, 41000, Algeria)
Noreddine Soltani (Laboratory of Applied Animal Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University Badji Mokhtar of Annaba. Annaba, 23000, Algeria)

Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity
Vol. 22 No. 7 (2021)

Abstract. Hamaidia K, Soltani N. 2021. Short communication: New report of Aedes albopictus in Souk Ahras, Northeast Algeria. Biodiversitas 22: 2901-2906. The present paper reports the occurrence of Aedes albopictus (Skuse), an aggressive Asian tiger mosquito in the city of Souk-Ahras (Northeast of Algeria). A “26 April” estate’ inhabitants (Souk-Ahras province) have reported unusual daytime bites by a striped mosquito. On early September 2020, an intensive field inspection was carried out for potential mosquito breeding sites in the locations around the city. A total of 105 specimens (8 larvae, 24 pupae and 73 adults) of Ae. albopictus were collected in a pile of old tyres in a residential garden. After previous records of this species in Algeria, this is the first evidence of its presence in Souk-Ahras province, and the findings enhance combined public participation with professional validation in surveillance of vector borne-diseases programs with emphasis on the need for sensitising citizens about controlling this important vector.