On the occasion of the Taxonomy Recognition Day – May 23, 2025, the Museum of Natural Sciences of Brescia is hosting a conference titled:

THE UNEXPLORED BIODIVERSITY OF “GLACIER FLEAS”
Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of springtails in the Alps and the Apennines

Presented by Barbara Valle

Among Alpine arthropods, springtails (Collembola) stand out for including cryophilic species—organisms that can survive only in direct contact with glacial ice. Known since the 1800s as “glacier fleas,” their classification and distribution remained poorly understood until now.

Thanks to a study of over 48 glacial sites, using both morphological and genetic methods, researchers have identified 11 species and described five new Alpine species—Desoria orobica, Vertagopus glacialis, V. psychrophilus, V. glacieinigrae, and V. fradustaensis—as well as one Apennine species, D. calderonis.

Some of these species are restricted to a single glacier, while others span the entire Alpine arc or parts of it, yet their habitats remain highly fragmented.
Their evolutionary history may be tied to the past—and future—of glaciation in Europe, but much remains to be discovered.

These findings highlight the extraordinary, and still largely unexplored, biodiversity of glacier fleas and the urgent need to protect these fragile ecosystems now threatened by climate change.

What will happen to these species as glaciers retreat and disappear?

📅 Friday, May 23, 2025 – 9:00 PM
(Taxonomy Recognition Day)

More details about the event are available on the Museum’s website at this link.

“Name It to Save It! – Every species has a story, but without a name, that story may never be told.”