Lednia

Lednia
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Plecoptera
Family:	Nemouridae
Subfamily:	Nemourinae
Genus:	Lednia; Ricker, 1952
Species:	L. tumana
Binomial name
	Lednia tumana; (Ricker, 1952)

Lednia is a monotypic genus, containing the single species Lednia tumana (the meltwater stonefly)—a rare, alpine, aquatic insect that is endangered due to likely loss of glaciers and snowpacks in the Glacier National Park and other habitat in the Rocky Mountains due to climate change. The differentiation from the other Nemourids is to look at the abdominal stremite which only the Lednia and paranemoura lack the vesicles of the 9th abdominal stermite.^[2]

Habitat and adaptions

The insect lives in the coldest streams just downstream of the glacier or snowbank sources and is considered as an early warning indicator species of climate warming in mountain ecosystems.The way the aquatic insects in this case Lednia tumana is able to use biochemical and physiological strategies in order to dimmish cold stress which allows them to survive colder climates ^[3] The Fisheries and Wildlife Service is being petitioned to protect the species under the U.S..Endangered Species Act.^[4]

Conservation

A study of the melting of glaciers due to climate change found that some species would benefit from the subsequent emergence of new ecosystems. This also includes Lednia tumana.^[5] Lednia species generally emerge as adults in mid-to-late summer, varying among streams due to thermal regime and snow cover.(Green, M.D., Tronstad, L.M., Giersch, J.J. et al., 2022) Adult Lednia tumana have a short lifespan, likely lasting a week or less, making them challenging to collect at this stage.(Meltwater Lednian Stonefly, 2024)

Researches have concluded that efforts should focus on conducting surveys to identify unmapped Lednia populations, targeting management towards climate refugia-linked populations, and regular monitoring of population sizes and environmental conditions.(Green, M.D., Tronstad, L.M., Giersch, J.J. et al., 2022)

References

^ "Lednia tumana (Ricker, 1952) Taxonomic Serial No.: 102630". ITIS Report. www.itis.gov. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
^ Green, Tronstad, L. M., Giersch, J. J., Shah, A. A., Fallon, C. E., Blevins, E., Kai, T. R., Muhlfeld, C. C., Finn, D. S., & Hotaling, S. (2022). Stoneflies in the genus Lednia (Plecoptera: Nemouridae): sentinels of climate change impacts on mountain stream biodiversity. Biodiversity and Conservation, 31(2), 353–377. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-021-02344-y
^ Hotaling, S., Shah, A. A., Dillon, M. E., Giersch, J. J., Tronstad, L. M., Finn, D. S., Woods, H. A., & Kelley, J. L. (2020). Cold tolerance of mountain stoneflies (Plecoptera: Nemouridae) from the High Rocky Mountains. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.25.171934
^ United States Geological Survey (source) (5 April 2011). "Rare alpine insect may disappear with glaciers". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
^ Bosson, J.B., Huss, M., Cauvy-Fraunié, S. et al. Future emergence of new ecosystems caused by glacial retreat. Nature 620, 562–569 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06302-2

[Green, M.D., Tronstad, L.M., Giersch, J.J. et al. Stoneflies in the genus Lednia (Plecoptera:

Nemouridae): sentinels of climate change impacts on mountain stream biodiversity. Biodivers Conserv 31, 353–377 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-021- 02344-y]