Population genetics and ecological niche of invasive Aedes albopictus in Mexico

[Display omitted] •A. albopictus is moderately structured, with low genetic variation and distance.•The most prevalent haplotype was common to the USA, Brazil, and African islands.•The ecological niche model covers 80% of Mexico and exposes 44% of the population.•Highest niche overlap (68%) occurred with that from Asia projected to Mexico.•A. albopictus was probably introduced from the north and south by land to Mexico. The Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus (Skuse), is one of the most invasive mosquito species worldwide. In Mexico it is now recorded in 12 states and represents a serious public health problem, given the recent introduction of Chikungunya on the southern border. The aim of this study was to analyze the population genetics of A. albopictus from all major recorded foci, and model its ecological niche. Niche similarity with that from its autochthonous distribution in Asia and other invaded countries were analyzed and its potential future expansion and potential human exposure in climate change scenarios measured. We analyzed 125 sequences of a 317bp fragment of the cyt b gene from seven A. albopictus populations across Mexico. The samples belong to 25 haplotypes with moderate population structuring (Fst=0.081, p