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Vol. 64, 2025
Visitors Without Passports: A
Synthesis of Invasion Routes and Phylogeographic Patterns in the Asian
Tiger Mosquito Based on Single-Locus Genetic Analyses
Juan
C. Londoño-Sanchez1,2 , Carol E. Florez-Estrada1,2, Bryan S. Valencia-Marin1,3, and Oscar Alexander
Aguirre-Obando1,2,*
doi:-
1Escuela
de investigación en Biomatemática, Universidad del Quindío. Carrera 15,
Calle 12 Norte, Armenia, Quindío, Colombia. *Correspondence: E-mail:
oscaraguirre@uniquindio.edu.co (Aguirre-Obando)
E-mail: juanc.londonos@uqvirtual.edu.co (Londoño-Sanchez);
carole.floreze@uqvirtual.edu.co (Florez-Estrada);
bsvalenciam@uqvirtual.edu.co (Valencia-Marin)
2Programa de Biología, Universidad del Quindío. Carrera 15, Calle 12
Norte, Armenia, Quindío, Colombia
3Laboratorio de Fisiologia e Morfologia de Culicidae e Chironomidae,
Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brasil
(Received 24 January 2024 /
Accepted 15 May 2025 / Published -- 2025)
Communicated by Chi-Chien Kuo
Aedes
albopictus, a vector of arboviruses of medical and veterinary
importance, has undergone a remarkable global expansion over the past
five decades. This worldwide study analyzes the phylogeography,
invasion routes, and demographic history of this mosquito species,
tracing its spread from its native range in Asia to Oceania, Europe,
America, and Africa. To this end, genetic datasets with distribution
patterns aligned with the species’ global spread were identified and
extracted from publicly available databases. Phylogeographic analyses
were conducted at a global level, invasion scenarios were tested, and
the demographic history of populations involved in the spread was
reconstructed. The mitochondrial genes COI (n = 3896), ND5 (n = 597),
and the complete mitogenome (n
= 79) were analyzed, revealing higher
genetic diversity within the native range and genetic connectivity
across all invaded regions, including the Americas, Africa, Europe, and
Asia. All genetic markers indicate that the invasion dynamics followed
a panmictic population structure, characterized by random mating and
high gene flow among populations. Demographic analyses confirm Asia as
the ancestral source population and identify multiple introduction
events into Europe, the Americas, and Africa. This invasion pattern,
combined with the evidence of panmixia, suggests that anthropogenic
factors—particularly global trade—play a pivotal role in shaping the
genetic connectivity and dispersal of A.
albopictus, underscoring the
influence of increasing global commerce on the spread of medically and
veterinary-relevant species.
Keywords: Aedes albopictus,
Demographic history, Gene flow, Maritime trade, Population genetics,
Stegomyia albopictus
Citation: Londoño-Sanchez JC,
Florez-Estrada CE, Valencia-Marin BS, Aguirre-Obando OA. 2025. Visitors
Without Passports: A Synthesis of Invasion Routes and Phylogeographic
Patterns in the Asian Tiger Mosquito Based on Single-Locus Genetic
Analyses. Zool Stud 64:27.
Supplementary
materials: Table S1丨Table S2丨Table S3丨Table S4丨Table S5
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