''Lednia'' is a monotypic genus, containing the single species ''Lednia tumana'' (the meltwater stonefly)—a rare, alpine, aquatic

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

that is endangered due to likely loss of glaciers and snowpacks in the Glacier National Park and other habitat in the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

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. 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 The Fisheries and Wildlife Service is being petitioned to protect the species under the U.S..

Endangered Species Act The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA or "The Act"; 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.) is the primary law in the United States for protecting imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of ec ...

. 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''.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

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Specter of Climate Change Looms Large for Rare Insect in Glacier National Park
(with photo). Nemouridae Plecoptera genera Insects of North America Fauna of the Rocky Mountains Monotypic insect genera {{Plecoptera-stub