Aedes geniculatus, also known as the tree hole mosquito,[1] is closely related to the better known Asian tiger mosquito and is native to Europe and North Africa.[2]
After the Zika epidemic in 2016, it was mistakenly reported to Public Health England by members of the public, who were monitoring the spread of Zika-carrying mosquitoes in southern England following media reports of the spread of the Asian tiger mosquito.[3] [4]
Although it has not been observed in the wild as a disease vector, in laboratory tests, the tree hole mosquito can transmit yellow fever and chikungunya and so may be able to spread the Zika virus. [5]