MEMO+2020 - Monitoring exotic mosquitoes in Belgium

Isra Deblauwe; Katrien De Wolf; Dimitri Brosens; Ruth Müller; Wim Van Bortel

doi:10.15468/r42fr7

MEMO+2020 - Monitoring exotic mosquitoes in Belgium

Citation

Deblauwe I, De Wolf K, Brosens D, Müller R, Van Bortel W (2024). MEMO+2020 - Monitoring exotic mosquitoes in Belgium. Version 1.9. Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp. Sampling event dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/r42fr7 accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-12-14.

Description

MEMO - Monitoring of Exotic MOsquitoes in Belgium is a sampling event dataset published by the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp (Belgium) (ITM). It is part of the early detection of exotic mosquito species (EMS) along high-risk introduction routes in Belgium, in which data are collected at defined locations (i.e. Points of Entry or PoE’s) using a standardised protocol. The MEMO dataset contains mosquito sampling counts performed between 2017 and 2020, and the MEMO+2020, an extension of the MEMO dataset, contains only Aedes albopictus mosquito trap counts performed in 2020. Here, they are published as a standardised Darwin Core Archive, which includes for each sampling event an eventID, a date, a location and a sampling protocol (in the event core); and an occurrenceID for each occurrence (tube), the number of collected individuals per tube, species status (present/absent), information on the identification and scientific name (in the occurrence extension). Issues with the dataset can be reported at https://github.com/BelgianBiodiversityPlatform/data-publication-ITG/issues

Here, it is published as a standardized Darwin Core Archive and includes for each sampling event an eventID, date, location and sampling protocol (in the event core), and for each occurrence an occurrenceID, the number of recorded individuals, status (present/absent), identification and scientific name (in the occurrence extension). Issues with the dataset can be reported at https://github.com/BelgianBiodiversityPlatform/data-publication-ITG/issues

We have released this dataset to the public domain under a https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/. waiver. We would appreciate it if you follow the INBO norms for data use (https://www.inbo.be/en/norms-data-use) when using the data. If you have any questions regarding this dataset, don't hesitate to contact us via the contact information provided in the metadata.

Sampling Description

Study Extent

The introduction of Aedes albopictus via ground transport along highways in Belgium was followed up by monitoring four parking lots: Aische-en-Refail (E1), Raeren (E4), Marke (E6), Saint-Ghislain (E8). The same risk scenarios were used as during the MEMO project (https://www.gbif.org/dataset/a178c443-d737-4938-b983-5fa8e50936fe) On 12 and 20 August 2020 eggs were collected by the CMV (Centrum voor Monitoring van Vectoren in the Netherlands) on the parking lot Hazeldonk (Breda) along the highway E19 and on 24 August on the parking lot Bladel (Bladel) along the highway E34 [6] (personal communication, Adolfo Ibáñez-Justicia (CMV)). Both locations are situated just across the border with Belgium. Following the findings of Aedes albopictus eggs at two Dutch parking lots along the Belgian border, extra monitoring activities were added in Belgium in September 2020. To check possible introductions at the first large Belgian parking lots following the Dutch parking lots along these highways, parking lot Minderhout (P1) along the E19 and parking lot Gierle (P2) along the E34 were monitored during one month. Sampling was performed by ITM. The sampling design was according to the one from the MEMO project in 2019 (insert link). For the parking lots E1, E4, E6 and E8 the sampling design was as follows: ▪ Scenario 1 (no established EMS): 10 oviposition traps were set-up at the parking lot and polystyrene pieces were collected every four weeks between August and November 2020. ▪ Scenario 2 (new EMS introduction): one extra larval sampling (LS) event was performed at the parking lot as soon as possible after the EMS detection. The same sampling design was used for the two additionally monitored parking lots P1 and P2, except that the ovipostion trapping lasted only one month (with one collection). In addition, one larval sampling event took place at the parking lots during the set-up of the oviposition traps which was on 16 September 2020 at P1 and on 18 September 2020 at P2.

Sampling

Oviposition traps were used to collect eggs and potential larval habitats were inspected for larvae. The collected polystyrene pieces were checked at ITM for the presence of Aedes mosquito eggs. If present, a subsample of the eggs (ranging from one to five) from each side of the polystyrene piece was put in absolute ethanol (100%) for molecular identification in case none of the other eggs hatched. The polystyrene piece was subsequently submerged in water and put in the climate controlled cupboard of the ITM insectary to rear the eggs. Hatched larvae were grown until the 4th instar, afterwards killed and morphologically identified. Some larvae were also reared to adulthood, killed in the freezer (-20°C) and morphologically identified. From the collected larvae, only larvae of the genus Aedes were morphologically identified to species level. Other larvae were stored in bulk, in 80% ethanol.

Quality Control

Data are collected using a predefined sampling protocol.

Method steps

Researchers from ITM defined the appropriate sampling protocol for the target species.
Fieldwork was planned and coordinated by ITM.
Data was collected in the field by specialized personnel.
The collected data was entered into VecMap.
The data was exported and manually corrected by experts.
A custom R & Grel script was created to map the original data to Darwin Core as an event core with an occurrence extension. (https://github.com/BelgianBiodiversityPlatform/data-publication-ITG).
The Darwin Core files are connected to the BBPF IPT and documented with metadata.
The dataset is published and registered with GBIF.

Taxonomic Coverages

Mosquitoes

Animalia
rank: kingdom
Arthropoda
rank: phylum
Insecta
rank: class
Diptera
rank: order
Culicoidea
rank: superfamily
Aedes albopictus
rank: species

Geographic Coverages

Belgium

Bibliographic Citations

Deblauwe I., De Wolf K., Smitz N., Vanslembrouck A., Schneider A., De Witte J., Verlé I., Dekoninck W., De Meyer M., Backeljau T., Gombeer S., Meganck K., Van Bourgonie Y.-R., Vanderheyden A., Müller R., Van Bortel W. 2020. Monitoring of exotic mosquitoes in Belgium (MEMO): Final Report Phase 7 Part 1: MEMO results. 100 pp. -
Deblauwe I., De Wolf K., Schneider A., De Witte J., Van Bortel W., Müller R. 2020. Monitoring of exotic mosquitoes in Belgium in second half of 2020 (MEMO+): Final Report: MEMO+ results. 58 pp. -
Ibáñez-Justicia, A., Smitz, N., den Hartog, W., van de Vossenberg, B., De Wolf, K., Deblauwe, I., Van Bortel, W., Jacobs, F., Vaux, A., Medlock, J. M., & Stroo, A. 2020. Detection of Exotic Mosquito Species (Diptera: Culicidae) at International Airports in Europe. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(10), 3450. - https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17103450
De Wolf K, Vanderheyden A, Deblauwe I, Smitz N, Gombeer S, Vanslembrouck A, Meganck K, Dekoninck W, DE Meyer M, Backeljau T, Müller R, VAN Bortel W. First record of the West Nile virus bridge vector Culex modestus Ficalbi (Diptera: Culicidae) in Belgium, validated by DNA barcoding. Zootaxa. 2021 Jan 27;4920(1):zootaxa.4920.1.7. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.4920.1.7. PMID: 33756679 - 10.11646/zootaxa.4920.1.7.
Smitz, N., De Wolf, K., Deblauwe, I. et al. Population genetic structure of the Asian bush mosquito, Aedes japonicus (Diptera, Culicidae), in Belgium suggests multiple introductions. 2021. Parasites Vectors 14, 179. - https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-021-04676-8
Smitz N., De Wolf, K., Gheysen A., Deblauwe I., Vanslembrouck A., Meganck K., De Witte J., Schneider A., VerléI., Dekoninck W., Gombeer S., Vanderheyden A., De Meyer M., Backeljau T., Müller R., Van Bortel W. (2021) DNA identification of species of the Anopheles maculipennis complex and first record of An. daciae in Belgium. Medical and Veterinary Entomology 35, 442–450 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12519 - https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12519
Deblauwe I.,Ibáñez-Justicia A., De Wolf K., Smitz N., Schneider A., Stroo A., Jacobs F., Vanslembrouck A., Gombeer S., Dekoninck W., Müller R., Van Bortel W. (2021) First detections of Culiseta longiareolata (Culicidae, Diptera) in Belgium and the Netherlands. Journal of Medical Entomology tjab127, - https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjab127

Contacts

Isra Deblauwe
originator
Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp
BE
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7268-8965

Katrien De Wolf
originator
Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp
email: katrien.dewolf@ugent.be
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9255-913X

Dimitri Brosens
originator
Belgian Biodiversity Platform
BE
email: dimitri.brosens@inbo.be
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0846-9116

Ruth Müller
originator
Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp
BE
email: rmuller@itg.be
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3909-3876

Wim Van Bortel
originator
Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp
BE
email: wvanbortel@itg.be
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6644-518X

Isra Deblauwe
metadata author
Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp
BE
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7268-8965

Dimitri Brosens
metadata author
Belgian Biodiversity Platform
BE
email: dimitri.brosens@inbo.be
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0846-9116

Wim Van Bortel
metadata author
Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp
BE
email: wvanbortel@itg.be
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6644-518X

Dimitri dimitri.brosens@inbo.be
user
email: dimitri.brosens@inbo.be

Isra Deblauwe
administrative point of contact
Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp
BE
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7268-8965