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Unravelling the activity rhythms of urban vector mosquitoes with smart-trap technology
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  • Published: 14 February 2026

Unravelling the activity rhythms of urban vector mosquitoes with smart-trap technology

  • María I. González-Pérez1,
  • Catuxa Cerecedo-Iglesias1,
  • Alex Richter-Boix1,
  • Laura Barahona2,
  • Tomás Montalvo2,
  • John R. B. Palmer3 &
  • …
  • Frederic Bartumeus1,4,5 

Scientific Reports , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

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We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Subjects

  • Ecology
  • Environmental sciences
  • Zoology

Abstract

Understanding mosquito activity in dense urban areas is essential to assess human exposure to nuisance and health risks. We analyzed real-time mosquito data from four smart traps operating between 2021 and 2024 in Barcelona (NE Spain), focusing on the fine-scale temporal dynamics of two major urban vector species, Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens. Both species exhibited consistent bimodal diel activity patterns aligned with sunrise and sunset, with species-specific differences in peak intensity and timing as well as seasonal fluctuations. Using a random forest framework, we identified light-related cues as primary activators of mosquito host-seeking activity; and light cues, temperature and rainfall also acting as modulators of activity, roles varying by species and temporal scale. This activator–modulator perspective illustrates how intrinsic circadian rhythms interact with extrinsic environmental drivers to determine mosquito activity across temporal scales. Our findings highlight the ecological value of high-resolution monitoring and the potential of next-generation surveillance tools to support early warning systems and evidence-based vector control in the context of smart cities.

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Data availability

The datasets generated and analysed during the current study, as well as code used to carry out the analysis and graphs, are available at the [MOSQUITO_ACTIVITY_BCN] GitHub repository, [https://github.com/maigonpe/MOSQUITO_ACTIVITY_BCN].

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Funding

Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This research was supported by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreements No. 101099283 (MOBVEC) and No. 853271 (HMIP).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Complexity, Centre d’Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), 17300, Girona, Spain

    María I. González-Pérez, Catuxa Cerecedo-Iglesias, Alex Richter-Boix & Frederic Bartumeus

  2. Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona (ASPB), 08023, Barcelona, Spain

    Laura Barahona & Tomás Montalvo

  3. Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08002, Barcelona, Spain

    John R. B. Palmer

  4. ICREA, Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, 08010, Barcelona, Spain

    Frederic Bartumeus

  5. CREAF, Ecological and Forestry Applications Research Centre, 08193, Barcelona, Spain

    Frederic Bartumeus

Authors
  1. María I. González-Pérez
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  2. Catuxa Cerecedo-Iglesias
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  4. Laura Barahona
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  7. Frederic Bartumeus
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Contributions

MIGP and FB conceived the ideas and designed the methodology of the study. LB and TM were in charge of the installation, maintenance and the entomological inspection of the smart-traps. MIGP analyzed the data and CCI, ARB, JP and FB contributed to the modeling approach. MIGP led the writing of the manuscript. All authors contributed critically to the drafts and gave final approval for publication.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to María I. González-Pérez.

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González-Pérez, M.I., Cerecedo-Iglesias, C., Richter-Boix, A. et al. Unravelling the activity rhythms of urban vector mosquitoes with smart-trap technology. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-38795-y

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  • Received: 16 October 2025

  • Accepted: 31 January 2026

  • Published: 14 February 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-38795-y

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