---
title: "What the sources say about the Asian Tiger Mosquito | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "53 claims from the Asian Tiger Mosquito profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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---

# What the sources say about the Asian Tiger Mosquito (*Aedes albopictus*)

> 53 claims from the Asian Tiger Mosquito profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Asian Tiger Mosquito](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/asian-tiger-mosquito/)

## Aedes albopictus. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Aedes_albopictus/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Not Evaluated | IUCN Red List Not Evaluated (note: ADW states Not Evaluated; the prefetch found no IUCN assessment DOI and GBIF holds no category for Aedes albopictus, so no IUCN reference is cited.) |
| Native to eastern Asia and now introduced to Europe, Africa and the Americas | are native to Eastern Asia, stretching into India, Japan, and several islands in the Pacific (Australasia). (note: stats.habitat; introduced half below) |
| introduced to Europe, Africa and the Americas | the species has spread to Italy and other regions in the Mediterranean basin, as well as parts of Africa, Madagascar, Brazil, Central America, the Caribbean, and most of the United States (note: stats.habitat) |
| breeds in tyres, bird baths and clogged gutters | It is perhaps most well known for utilizing tires, but it has since adapted the ability to develop in a range of natural and artificial areas including bird baths, clogged gutters, and litter. (note: stats.habitat; the larvae grow in tyres, bird baths and clogged gutters (body)) |
| Females drink blood, preferring mammals, to make eggs | The females also feed on these juices, but need a blood meal to develop eggs. ... Aedes albopictus is an opportunistic feeder but prefers mammals above all else. (note: stats.diet) |
| both sexes drink nectar and plant juices | Males of the species are not parasitic. They feed on nectars and sugar-rich plant juices. The females also feed on these juices (note: stats.diet) |
| Males live on nectar and sugary plant juices. Females need a blood meal to develop their eggs | They feed on nectars and sugar-rich plant juices. The females also feed on these juices, but need a blood meal to develop eggs. (note: body) |
| the eggs hatch once rising water covers them | will hatch when water levels rise above the location of the egg, submerging it. |
| Animal Diversity Web gives adults an average length of 4 mm. | Average length 4 mm 0.16 in (note: ADW is old; used for size only) |
| which earns the tiger name | received its common name because of its distinguishable pattern of white and black stripes along it's palpus and tarsi. |
| Males have bushy antennae with receptors that let them hear the whine of a female | Antennae contain auditory receptors that allow the males to hear the whine of females which helps to locate them. (note: bushy: 'the antennae ... which are much bushier in the males') |
| they gather in swarms a few feet off the ground | Males will form leks, or swarms, a few feet off the ground, which will attract females. |
| Mating happens in flight and lasts 5 to 15 seconds. | Mating will occur in flight and last for 5 to 15 seconds. |
| Four Millimetres of Stripes | Average length 4 mm 0.16 in (note: heading) |
| males use bushy antennae to hear the whine of a female | Antennae contain auditory receptors that allow the males to hear the whine of females which helps to locate them. (note: vibe.reason; same quote as the body sentence "Males have bushy antennae with receptors that let them hear the whine of a femal") |
| as they swarm | Males will form leks, or swarms, a few feet off the ground, which will attract females. (note: vibe.reason; same quote as the body sentence "they gather in swarms a few feet off the ground") |

## Aedes albopictus - Factsheet for experts. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/disease-vectors/facts/mosquito-factsheets/aedes-albopictus

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| rode used tyres | facilitated by human activities, in particular the movement of used tyres (note: tagline; the egg half is the diapause and -10 °C claims below) |
| Drought-resistant eggs that, in European populations, pause through winter and survived a -10 °C cold spell | Diapausing eggs of European Ae. albopictus have been shown to be able to survive a cold spell of -10oC (note: stats.superpower) |
| Females lay drought-resistant eggs above the water line. | The drought-resistant eggs are laid above the water line. |
| began in the tropical forests of South-East Asia | Having originated in tropical forests of South-East Asia, Ae. albopictus has spread globally. |
| In cooler regions, eggs laid in late summer or early autumn, as daylight hours shrink, enter a winter pause. | Temperate populations are affected by seasonal temperature and photoperiodicity and, in response to these factors, can overwinter by producing eggs that undergo a winter diapause. ... Eggs, laid during late summer or early autumn when daylight hours are reducing, enter facultative diapause (note: diapause explained as the winter pause in the body) |
| eggs from European populations, once in diapause, came through a -10 °C cold snap, while eggs from tropical populations could only take -2 °C | Diapausing eggs of European Ae. albopictus have been shown to be able to survive a cold spell of -10oC, whereas eggs of tropical Ae. albopictus could only survive -2oC. |
| They are black with white scale patches on the legs, which earns the tiger name | Aedes albopictus adults are relatively small and show a black and white pattern due to the presence of white/silver scale patches against a black background on the legs and other parts of the body. (note: the tiger name from ADW: received its common name because of its distinguishable pattern of white and black stripes) |
| ECDC says adult females can survive over three weeks. | Adult females can survive over three weeks |
| On its own wings its range is limited to about 200 metres. | Flight range (and hence dispersal on the wing) is limited to ~200m |
| its global expansion was helped by the movement of used tyres and "lucky bamboo" | facilitated by human activities, in particular the movement of used tyres and ‘lucky bamboo’ |
| It was first reported in Europe in 1979 in Albania, then in Texas in 1985 and in Brazil in 1986. | Aedes albopictus was first reported in Europe in 1979 in Albania [46]. In 1985 it was reported in Texas, USA ... In Latin America it was first reported in Brazil in 1986 |
| It is on the Invasive Species Specialist Group's list of the top 100 invasive species. | It is now listed as one of the top 100 invasive species by the Invasive Species Specialist Group |
| they bite aggressively, usually during the day and preferably outdoors | Adult females bite aggressively, usually during the day and preferably outdoors. |
| It takes blood from people, from domestic and wild animals, and from reptiles, birds and amphibians, but lab tests and analysis of the blood in fed females show it prefers ours. | Blood hosts include humans, domestic and wild animals, reptiles, birds and amphibians [18]. Yet, laboratory studies and blood meal analysis have shown a preference for human blood meals |
| ECDC calls it a known vector of dengue, chikungunya and dirofilariasis | This mosquito species is a known vector of chikungunya virus, dengue virus and dirofilariasis. |
| Italy's chikungunya outbreak of 2006 to 2007 clearly demonstrated that it carries that virus. | During the 2006-2007 chikungunya outbreak in Italy, the status of Ae. albopictus as vector of the chikungunya virus was clearly demonstrated |
| ECDC also considers it, from experiments, a competent carrier of at least 22 other arboviruses | Aedes albopictus is considered to be a competent* vector experimentally of at least 22 other arboviruses |
| ECDC cautions that lab infection and field finds alone do not prove a mosquito is involved in transmission. | Field isolation and experimental infection studies alone do not prove that this mosquito species is involved in the transmission of such viruses |
| Look at the thorax, the body section behind the head. ECDC names a silver-white line down the middle of it, against a black background, as the diagnostic mark. | the diagnostic character is the presence of a median silver-scale line against a black background on the scutum (dorsal part of the thorax) |
| The black-and-white legs help, but some other mosquitoes have similar contrast. | Some indigenous mosquitoes also show such contrasts but these are less obvious (more brownish and yellowish). |
| ECDC puts its flight range at around 200 metres | Flight range (and hence dispersal on the wing) is limited to ~200m |
| its main route to new places is people moving goods that hold water | The main dispersal route for this mosquito is via transport and movement of container habitat goods. (note: container habitat goods = goods that hold water for larvae) |
| out of South-East Asia's forests and around the world | Having originated in tropical forests of South-East Asia, Ae. albopictus has spread globally. (note: tagline) |
| a disease caused by parasitic worms | This mosquito is also known to be able to transmit dengue virus [85,86] and dirofilarial worms (note: definition of dirofilariasis) |
| such as used tyres | This expansion was facilitated by the movement of used tyres along the interstate highways (note: faq 2; tyres as the moved container goods) |
| It mostly travels as a stowaway, when people transport and move goods that can hold water and larvae. | The main dispersal route for this mosquito is via transport and movement of container habitat goods. (note: container habitat goods = goods that hold water for larvae) |
| dangerLevel: Deadly | This mosquito is also known to be able to transmit dengue virus (note: stats.dangerLevel, task #1254: Deadly is a capability, read as for the yellow fever mosquito (#986): the bite can pass on a virus that kills) |
| tags: urban | they have a preference for urban and suburban habitats (note: tags, task #1254) |
| tags: hematophagy | Blood hosts include humans, domestic and wild animals, reptiles, birds and amphibians (note: tags, task #1254; females only, the diet line says so) |

## Distinguishing Aedes albopictus, the Asian Tiger mosquito, from native British mosquitoes. UK Health Security Agency, GOV.UK.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mosquito-surveillance/distinguishing-aedes-albopictus-the-asian-tiger-mosquito-from-native-british-mosquitoes

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| a single white line runs down the middle of the thorax | the thorax of Ae. albopictus has a single white central line from front to back |
| The UK Health Security Agency gives the wingspan as 7 to 8 mm, against 13 to 15 mm for a native British mosquito, Culiseta annulata, that people often mistake for it. | Cs. annulata is much larger than Ae. albopictus with a wing span 13 to 15 mm, compared to 7 to 8 mm (note: mistaken: 'The most likely reasons why many people confuse these 2 mosquito species for the Asian Tiger mosquito are: Cs. annulata is large and has very distinctive and boldly striped legs') |

## Doeurk et al. (2025). Impact of temperature on survival, development and longevity of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Parasites & Vectors.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-06892-y

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| females kept at a constant 20 °C lived longest, averaging 22.6 days; at 35 °C the average was 1.41 days | the longest survival was observed at 20 °C, with an average lifespan of 22.6 days and a maximum of 99 days. In contrast, the shortest female lifespan was recorded at 35 °C for both species, averaging 5.86 (maximum 8) days for Ae. aegypti and 1.41 (maximum 8) days for Ae. albopictus |
| at a steady 20 °C the females averaged 22.6 days, the longest of any temperature they tried | Regarding Ae. albopictus females, the longest survival was observed at 20 °C, with an average lifespan of 22.6 days and a maximum of 99 days. In contrast, the shortest female lifespan was recorded at 35 °C for both species, averaging 5.86 (maximum 8) days for Ae. aegypti and 1.41 (maximum 8) days for Ae. albopictus |
| Researchers in Cambodia reared mosquitoes from a Phnom Penh population in the lab | Field strains of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus used in this study were collected from the Royal University of Agriculture (RUA), located in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (note: faq 3; F2 eggs of the field strain were used, at six constant temperatures) |
| In a lab study of mosquitoes bred from a population collected in Phnom Penh, Cambodia | We tested two mosquito species ( Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus ) at six constant temperatures (15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 °C). (note: constant temperatures; F2 eggs from field strains collected in Phnom Penh) |
| At 35 °C they averaged just 1.41 days | the shortest female lifespan was recorded at 35 °C for both species, averaging 5.86 (maximum 8) days for Ae. aegypti and 1.41 (maximum 8) days for Ae. albopictus |

## Dengue and severe dengue. World Health Organization fact sheet.

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dengue-and-severe-dengue

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| dangerLevel: Deadly | Rarely, dengue can be severe and lead to death. (note: stats.dangerLevel, task #1254) |