Species Distribution Modeling of Aedes aegypti in Maricopa County, Arizona from 2014-2020

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which are of great importance to public health, have recently and rapidly expanded their global range; however, little is understood about the distribution of these mosquitoes in desert environments. Trapping records for Ae. aegypti in Maricopa County, Arizona from 2014-2020 were used to construct species distribution models using Maxent. Satellite imagery and socioeconomic factors were used as predictors. Maps of predicted habitat suitability were converted to binary presence/absence maps, and consensus maps were created that represent “core” habitat for the mosquito over six years of time. Generally, population density was the most important predictor in the models while median income was the least important. This study is the first step toward understanding the distribution of the vector in a desert environment. One-Sentence Summary This study uses satellite imagery and socioeconomic factors to identify core habitat over six years in a desert environment.