Molecular Characterization of Mosquito Species and Confirmation of First Record of <i>Aedes aegypti</i> in Buraydah City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Mosquitoes are a source of concern because they transmit many infectious diseases, including Zika virus, chikungunya, and malaria. Accurate and rapid identification of mosquitoes is essential for disease surveillance and control. Genetic diversity in mosquito species, resulting from adaptation to different environments, leads to many differences in morphological characteristics. Traditional identification methods relying on morphology can be time-consuming and unreliable. The study aimed to identify medically and veterinary significant adult mosquito species throughout 2021 in Buraydah City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). We collected adult mosquitoes using Black Hole light traps in the city. The mosquitoes were morphologically identified using traditional identification keys and characterized by using the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase c subunit I (COI) barcode regions. Although the genetic sequences we discovered do not necessarily represent new records, they do represent species with a long history of evolutionary independence, at least among adult mosquito species in KSA, especially in Buraydah city. Both morphological and molecular data identified five mosquito species: Culex pipiens (Linnaeus, 1758), Cx. sitiens (Wiedemann, 1828), Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762), Ae. caspius (Pallas, 1771), and Anopheles dthali (Patton, 1905). These species correspond to those from Kenya, India, KSA, and Iran with genetic variation. Aedes aegypti was confirmed for the first time in Buraydah city. DNA barcoding is a useful tool that can overcome inefficiencies and difficulties and complement traditional taxonomy.