J Syst Evol

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Arthropod discoveries from the Passu Glacier highlight understudied glacial biodiversity in the Karakoram and its local evolutionary history

Barbara Valle1*, Arianna Crosta2,3,4, Rahmat U. Baig5, Roberto Ambrosini2,6,7, Guglielmina A. Diolaiuti2, Valeria Lencioni8   

  1. 1Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via A. Moro 2, Siena 53100, Italy;
    2Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, via Celoria 2, Milan 20133, Italy;
    3Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstra?e 25, Innsbruck 6020, Austria;
    4Austrian Polar Research Institute, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria;
    5EvK2Pakistan, Italian K2 Museum Skardu, House 3-A, Street 55, F-7/4 Skardu, Pakistan;
    6Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Av. Eng. Luis Edmundo C. Coube, n. 14-01, Bauru, SP, Brazil;
    7Centre of Applied Studies for the Sustainable Management and Protection of Mountain Areas (CRC Ge.S.Di.Mont.), University of Milan, Via Morino 8, 25048, Edolo, Italy;
    8Climate and Ecology Unit, Research and Museum Collections Office, MUSE-Science Museum, Corso del Lavoro e della Scienza 3, Trento 38122, Italy;
    *Author for correspondence. E-mail: valle.barbara94@gmail.com
  • Received:2025-11-21 Accepted:2026-01-05

Abstract: Glaciers in High Asia, despite their vast extent, harbour poorly understood biodiversity compared to other mountain ranges. This study describes a new species of springtail, Desoria passui sp. n., and reports chironomid found as larva from the Passu Glacier in the Pakistani Karakoram. Phylogenetic analyses reveal that D. passui sp. n. is genetically distinct from known cryophilic springtails in European mountain ranges, indicating a local evolutionary lineage. Similarly, the chironomid larvae represent a potentially undescribed species within Metriocnemus that does not form a sister group but is instead affiliated with other barcoded Eurasian species known to be associated with glacial habitats. These findings suggest that the cryophilic arthropod diversity of the Karakoram remains largely undocumented and their evolutionary history is independent from other known mountain cryophilic species. Given the ongoing glacier retreat, documenting and understanding this hidden biodiversity is critical for informing conservation strategies and assessing ecosystem responses to climate change.

Key words: Collembola, cryophilic, Diptera Chironomidae, Karakoram glacier, new species discovery