"Melting of Glaciers at Famed U.S. Park Threatens Rare Water Bug"

"The expected disappearance of the famed glaciers at Montana's Glacier National Park by 2030 could spell doom for a rare aquatic insect confined to high mountain streams that are warming due to climate change, U.S. scientists said on Thursday.

The western glacier stonefly lives only in a few streams at Glacier National Park. First identified in 1963, the bug's population has declined sharply along with the park's glaciers, U.S. Geological Survey researchers said in a study in the journal Freshwater Science.

The stonefly has disappeared from the bulk of its historical range, with sampling by scientists from 2011 to 2013 showing the insect in just one of the six streams it once occupied. It was also found in two new locations at higher elevations with cooler water, according to the study."

Laura Zuckerman reports for Reuters December 5, 2014.