Ancient origin of an urban underground mosquito
Authors: Haba Yuki , Aardema Matthew L. , Afonso Maria O. , Agramonte Natasha M. , Albright John , Alho Ana Margarida , Almeida Antonio P.G. , Alout Haoues , Alten Bulent , Altinli Mine , Amara Korba Raouf , Andreadis Stefanos S. , Anghel Vincent , Arich Soukaina , Arsenault-Benoit Arielle , Atyame Célestine , Aubry Fabien , Avila Frank W. , Ayala Diego , Azrag Rasha S. , Babayan Lilit , Bear Allon , Becker Norbert , Bega Anna G. , Bejarano Sophia , Ben-Avi Ira , Benoit Joshua B. , Boubidi Saïd C. , Bradshaw William E. , Bravo-Barriga Daniel , Bueno-Marí Rubén , Bušić Nataša , Čabanová Viktoria , Cabeje Brittany , Caputo Beniamino , Cardo Maria V. , Carpenter Simon , Carreton Elena , Chouaïbou Mouhamadou S. , Christian Michelle , Coetzee Maureen , Conner William R. , Cornel Anton , Culverwell C. Lorna , Cupina Aleksandra I. , De Wolf Katrien , Deblauwe Isra , Deegan Brittany , Delacour-Estrella Sarah , Torre Alessandra della , Diaz Debora , Dool Serena E. , dos Anjos Vitor L , Dugassa Sisay , Ebrahimi Babak , Eisa Samar Y.M. , Elissa Nohal , Fallatah Sahar A.B. , Faraji Ary , Fedorova Marina V. , Ferrill Emily , Fonseca Dina M. , Foss Kimberly A. , Foxi Cipriano , França Caio M. , Fricker Stephen R. , Fritz Megan L. , Frontera Eva , Fuehrer Hans-Peter , Futami Kyoko , Ghallab Enas H.S. , Girod Romain , Gordeev Mikhail I. , Greer David , Gschwind Martin , Guarido Milehna M. , Guat Ney Teoh , Gunay Filiz , Haklay Eran , Hamad Alwia A.E. , Hang Jun , Hardy Christopher M. , Hartle Jacob W. , Hesson Jenny C. , Higa Yukiko , Holzapfel Christina M. , Honnen Ann-Christin , Ionica Angela M. , Jones Laura , Kadriaj Përparim , Kamal Hany A. , Kamdem Colince , Karagodin Dmitry A. , Kasai Shinji , Kavran Mihaela , Khater Emad I.M. , Kiene Frederik , Kim Heung-Chul , Kioulos Ilias , Klein Annette , Klemenčić Marko , Klobučar Ana , Knutson Erin , Koenraadt Constantianus J.M. , Kothera Linda , Kreienbühl Pauline , Labbé Pierrick , Lachmi Itay , Lambrechts Louis , Landeka Nediljko , Lee Christopher H. , Lessard Bryan D. , Leycegui Ignacio , Lundström Jan O. , Lustigman Yoav , MacIntyre Caitlin , Mackay Andrew J. , Magori Krisztian , Maia Carla , Malcolm Colin A. , Marquez Ralph-Joncyn O. , Martins Dino , Masri Reem A. , McDivitt Gillian , McMinn Rebekah J. , Medina Johana , Mellor Karen S. , Mendoza Jason , Merdić Enrih , Mesler Stacey , Mestre Camille , Miranda Homer , Miterpáková Martina , Montarsi Fabrizio , Moskaev Anton V. , Mu Tong , Möhlmann Tim W.R. , Namias Alice , Ng’iru Ivy , Ngangué Marc F. , Novo Maria T. , Orshan Laor , Oteo José A. , Otsuka Yasushi , Panarese Rossella , Paredes-Esquivel Claudia , Paronyan Lusine , Peper Steven T. , Petrić Dušan V. , Pilapil Kervin , Pou-Barreto Cristina , Puechmaille Sebastien J. , Radespiel Ute , Rahola Nil , Raman Vivek K , Redouane Hamadouche , Reiskind Michael H. , Reissen Nadja M. , Rice Benjamin L. , Robert Vincent , Ruiz-Arrondo Ignacio , Salamat Ryan , Salamone Amy , Sarih M’hammed , Satta Giuseppe , Sawabe Kyoko , Schaffner Francis , Schultz Karen E. , Shaikevich Elena V. , Sharakhov Igor V. , Sharakhova Maria V. , Shatara Nader , Sibataev Anuarbek K. , Sicard Mathieu , Smith Evan , Smith Ryan C. , Smitz Nathalie , Soriano Nicolas , Spanoudis Christos G. , Stone Christopher M. , Studentsky Liora , Sulesco Tatiana , Tantely Luciano M. , Thao La K. , Tietze Noor , Tokarz Ryan E. , Tsai Kun-Hsien , Tsuda Yoshio , Turić Nataša , Uhran Melissa R. , Unlu Isik , Van Bortel Wim , Vardanyan Haykuhi , Vavassori Laura , Velo Enkelejda , Venter Marietjie , Vignjević Goran , Vogels Chantal B.F. , Volkava Tatsiana , Vontas John , Ward Heather M. , Ahmad Nazni Wasi , Weill Mylène , West Jennifer D. , Wheeler Sarah S. , White Gregory S. , Wipf Nadja C. , Wu Tai-Ping , Yu Kai-Di , Zimmermann Elke , Zittra Carina , Korlević Petra , McAlister Erica , Lawniczak Mara K.N. , Schumer Molly , Rose Noah H. , McBride Carolyn S. 
Published: February 2025

Understanding how life is adapting to urban environments represents an important challenge in evolutionary biology. Here we investigate a widely cited example of urban adaptation,Culex pipiensformmolestus, also known as the London Underground Mosquito. Population genomic analysis of ∼350 contemporary and historical samples counter the popular hypothesis thatmolestusoriginated belowground in London less than 200 years ago. Instead, we show thatmolestusfirst adapted to human environments aboveground in the Middle East over the course of >1000 years, likely in concert with the rise of agricultural civilizations. Our results highlight the role of early human society in priming taxa for contemporary urban evolution and have important implications for understanding arbovirus transmission.