Mosquitoes threaten Galapagos wildlife

LONDON: The unique wildlife of the Galapagos Islands is under threat from disease-carrying mosquitoes arriving on board growing numbers of aircraft and tourist boats, researchers said yesterday.

Experts fear the spread of the southern house mosquito, or Culex quinquefasciatus, could have the same devastating effect in the Galapagos as in Hawaii during the late 19th century, when disease wiped out many indigenous birds.

The mosquito was first spotted in the Galapagos in the mid-1980s, but its presence then was considered a one-off.