A research paper from 1999 says a unique species of mosquito lives and has evolved in the London Underground over many generations
Geobeats News reports:
The London Underground just might have its own distinct subspecies of mosquito. At least that’s the theory posited by a study published in the journal Heredity.
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The tube-dwelling mosquito, named Culex pipiens molestus, is believed to have evolved separately from its surface-dwelling relatives due to the small but distinct physical barrier between each group.
If verified, the evolution of the subway mosquito would qualify as an example of “quick-moving speciation,” similar to Charles Darwin’s famous finches on the Galapagos Islands.
And, though the subspecies is believed to be so different that it’s now unable to reproduce with mosquitoes of other species, not everyone in the scientific community buys the idea.
This is because the mosquito has been found in various underground situations–including an outbreak in the sewers of New York City in 2011.
