Preprint: multiple trade-linked introductions shaped tiger mosquito invasion of Colombia

A bioRxiv preprint presents population genetic and genomic analyses of *Aedes albopictus* — the Asian tiger mosquito and a vector of dengue, Zika, and chikungunya viruses — sampled from five departments in Colombia. The study integrates population genetics with data on trade connectivity and microbial symbiosis, including Wolbachia infection status, to reconstruct how the species established and spread across the country.

The analyses point to multiple independent introductions rather than a single founder event, with patterns of genetic relatedness consistent with human-mediated dispersal via international trade routes — principally used tyres and ornamental plants, both previously identified as key vehicles for *Ae. albopictus* transport globally. Discordance between mitochondrial and nuclear phylogenetic signals adds further complexity to the invasion history, suggesting that different lineages may have hybridised following separate introductions.

The findings have implications for biosurveillance and for understanding how trade networks shape the genetic diversity of invasive vector species in Latin America — a region where integrated genomic invasion studies have previously been limited. Wolbachia prevalence data are also reported, relevant to ongoing biological control programmes that use Wolbachia-carrying mosquito releases to suppress arboviral transmission. This work is a preprint and has not yet been peer-reviewed.