Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, 15(4):569-57O, 1999 Copyright O 1999 by the American Mosquito Control Association, Inc.

SCIENTIFIC NOTE

AEDES ALBOPICZU,SIN CUBA

RAUL GONZAI-EZ BROCHE ENO ELISA MARRO BORJA

"Pedro Departamento Control de Vectores, Instituto Kouri," Autopista Novia del Mediodia, Km6, Apartado 601, Marianao 13, Havana City, Cuba

ABSTRACT. This is the lst report of the occurrence of Aedes albopictus in Cuba. It was found in late 1995 in a variety of containers in the municipalities of La Lisa and Boyeros in Havana City.

KEY WORDS Aedes albopictus, Cuba, distribution

On October 18, 1995, 7 immature Aedes albo- and 4 adult males were identified utilizing the keys picrzs (Skuse) were collected in a larvitrap used in of Darsie (1986) and Savage and Smith (1995). the Cuban National Aedes aegypti Eradication Pro- These specimens were deposited in the insect col- gram's mosquito surveillance system. These were lection of the Department of Vector Control at the "Pedro the lst Ae. albopictus ever detected on the island. Institute of Tropical Medicine Kouri" in Subsequently, field surveys were conducted in the Havana. municipalities of La Lisa and Boyeros, which are All infested containers were found outdoors and about 7 km apart but within the greater Havana Aedes mediovittatus (Coquillett) was present in 4 metropolitan area. Results of these surveys are of these containers. We suspect that Ae. albopictus summarized in Table l. may have been introduced into Cuba during August A total of 372 larvae, 3O pupae, 5 adult females, or September, 1995, in cargo from the Dominican

Table l. Detection of Aedes albopictus in Havana, Cuba, in 1995.

Municipality Date of collection Type of containers Stages collectedr La Lisa Oct. 18 Larvitrap 7L Oct. 20 Cans (3, O.S-liter) 18L,4P Tires (2 auto, I bicycle) 56 L,6 P, 5 females, 4 males Ceramic jars (2, 2O-liter) 30L,2 P Metallic tanks (3, 22o-liter) 47L,3 P Miscellaneous metal containers 18L Ceramic container ( lO-liter) t2L Oct.26 Iron beam t4L Oct. 30 Discarded machines (2) 6L Nov. 8 Miscellaneous metal containers t2L Boyeros Oct. 29 Can (l-liter) ZL Auto tires (2) 9L Metallic tank (220liter) 6L Ceramic container (loJiter) 8L,1P Oct. 3l Auto tire 16L,3 P Can (lliter) 3L Nov. 2 Metallic tank (220-liter) 15L Nov. 3 Auto tire 18L,4 P Miscellaneous metal containers 6L Nov. 4 Metallic tank (220-liter) 7L Nov. 17 Auto tire 24L,2 P Nov.18 Cans (2, 0.5-liter) 6L Miscellaneous metal containers 12L,3 P Nov. 2l Larvitrap 5L Nov. 23 Discarded machinery 3L Nov. 25 Metallic tank (22o-liter) 5L Discarded machinery 7 L.2P rL, larvae; R pupae.

L 570 JounNnr-on rsB Aurnrcl,N Mosquno CoNrnor-AssocrerroN VoL.15, No.4

Republic and/or Mexico that entered the port of Ha- REFERENCES CITED vana and was stored in La Lisa or Boyeros. Darsie, R. E, Jr. 1986. The identification Following the detection of this species in the mu- of Aedes albo- pictus in the Nearctic region. J. Am. Mosq. Control nicipality of La Lisa, an intense control campaign Assoc. 2:336-340. was begun. No infested containers were found after Savage, H. M. and G. C. Smith. 1995. Aedes albopictus November 8 in the Lisa municipality. y Aedes aegypti en las Americas: implicaciones para la We thank Gary G. Clark for his valuable collab- transmission de arbovirus e identificacion de hembras oration in reviewing the manuscripts. adultas danadas. Bol. Of. Sanit. Panam. 118:473-478.