Russia : Discovery of 30 new species of invertebrates in the ice of the Caucasus

Scientists have discovered 30 new species of invertebrate animals and insects in areas of the Caucasus's ice melting due to global warming.

According to the Information Office of the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 438 species of invertebrates live in the studied areas.

The office indicates that a group of Russian scientists evaluated the spatiotemporal changes in the communities of various invertebrate animals in areas of thawing ice, ages 0-170 years, in the Central Caucasus, and they discovered 438 species, including 30 new species that were not previously known.

The expedition studied changes in invertebrate populations caused by warming, melting ice and retreating ice. The researchers were particularly interested in whether heat-loving animals replaced those living in the ice or whether they complemented each other and settled nearby. They found that heat-loving animals quickly occupied the warmer "free-frozen surfaces" and the lower regions. The researchers observed significant changes in their composition.

The researchers discovered species that are still unknown to science - such as a new species of springtail insects from the genus Desoria and new species of chironomidae, which actually live on the ice layer and near its edge. As well as species that parasitize or are transmitted to periglacial ground beetles, belonging to species not yet described.

“A whole world of unknown cold-loving organisms has opened before us, the small size of which makes them invisible to tourists and mountaineers,” says Olga Makarova, head of the project. “With the disappearance of the ice, so will the habitats of these species - actual icy surfaces, cold wet wastelands and gravel, but in The Central Caucasus still has large highland areas.”