D3117: Not all mosquitoes are bloodsuckers: Assessing the western limits of the range of Wyeomyia smithii, the non-biting pitcher plant mosquito

Wyeomyia smithii is a mosquito that exhibits a unique pattern in blood feeding behavior where populations above approximately 43°N latitude do not blood feed at all and are still able to lay several clutches of eggs . The southern populations are only able to lay their first clutch of eggs without a bloodmeal. This unique characteristic has made Wy. smithii a very useful model in evolutionary biology research. Current distributions of Wy. smithii show that this species is not found beyond the western Saskatchewan border in Canada. However, recent publications suggest that Wy. smithii’s distribution likely also extends into Alberta. The distribution of Wy. smithii closely follows Sarracenia purpurea, the purple pitcher plant where Wy. smithii’s larvae develop in the leaves. The distribution of S. purpurea extends far into Alberta, coinciding with the province’s extensive peatlands. In light of the intimate link between Wy. smithii and of S. purpurea in additional to evidence from previous publications, we expect that the distribution of Wy. smithii extends into the northern peatlands of Alberta and that the populations within Alberta are highly isolated from other North American populations. Assessing the true distribution on Wy. smithii will help elucidate the ecological role of this mosquito and its unique relationship with the purple pitcher plant and how it sustains a major feature of Alberta’s natural landscape. This research may also further illuminate our ability to understand population and species change as well as gene flow and genetic structure through the use of conservation genomics.