Aedes albopictus, commonly known as the Asian tiger mosquito, is an invasive species of significant public health concern due to its ability to transmit dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses. Since arriving in Europe in the late 1970s, this mosquito species has progressively expanded its range, with Belgium marking an important step in its northward spread. The increasing frequency of its introduction raises the urgent question of whether Ae. albopictus could become permanently present in the country. This study investigates the potential for the establishment of Ae. albopictus populations in Belgium using a mechanistic model and assessing the likelihood of successful establishment based on simulated introduction events. Our results indicate that the probability of establishment is highest in Flanders, particularly under scenarios of early and multiple introductions during the summer months, even though the interannual climatic variability still plays a major role in establishment success. The establishment of Ae. albopictus in Belgium would introduce new epidemiological risks, as the species could facilitate the transmission of non-native viruses during particularly warm summers. While the transmission windows may remain limited compared to Mediterranean regions, continued introductions and climate change could expand these periods, increasing the likelihood of local outbreaks.
The phenology and routes of long-distance migrations of European Nightjars are well described for Western European individuals migrating within the East Atlantic and Mediterranean flyways, while little is known about populations from other parts of the Eurasian breeding range. We describe the route choice and timing of European Nightjars breeding in eastern Mongolia, migrating within the Asia–East Africa flyway to reach wintering destinations in South-East Africa. After covering about 15,000 km during autumn migration, Mongolian nightjars arrived 1 month later in their wintering grounds compared to nightjars breeding in Western Europe. A similar difference was also observed in the timing of their arrival back at their respective breeding grounds illustrating the differences in timing of migration events between the two populations. We identify the steppes of Central Asia and the savannah of the Horn of Africa and Eastern Africa as key stopover zones for nightjars associated with the crossing of an ecological barrier formed by the deserts and mountains of the Iranian Plateau and the Arabian Peninsula.
Op 9 maart 2018 werden tijdens graafwerken te Elewijt Romeinse scherven aangetroffen (fig.12).Deze werken vonden plaats naar aanleiding van het aanleggen van de funderingen van een nieuwbouwwoning door de firma Verelst op een braakliggend terrein, tussen de Kastanjedreef en de Hofstraat.. Etienne Vandepitte van de heemkundige kring de Semse meldde deze vondst bij het agentschap Onroerend Erfgoed.Nog diezelfde dag bezochten archeologen van het agentschap de werf.De uitgraving van de eerste nieuwbouwwoning werd opgevolgd
The plight of the spadefoot toad in Belgium ..... 2 Rescuing the southernmost marsupial frog species in Argentina ......................................... 4 Field monitoring, ex situ management and reintroduction of threatened urban amphibians of the city of Cuenca, Ecuador ........................ 6 In Memorium..................................................... 7 AArk Conservation Grant recipients ................. 8 AArk Husbandry Document library ................. 10 Amphibian Ark donors, January-June 2021.... 11 ®
