On the occasion of the 9th edition of the Italian Research Day in the World, the Italian Cultural Institute of Miami presents a second event on Tuesday, April 21st, 2026, at 6:30 PM at its Coral Gables location.
The lecture, titled Adventures and Misadventures in High-Altitude Tropics, is held by Alessandro Catenazzi, herpetologist and professor at Florida International University (FIU), specializing in the study of biodiversity and the conservation of amphibians and reptiles. He will take the audience on a fascinating journey through the tropical Andes, among the most biodiverse yet also most fragile ecosystems on the planet. Through stories drawn from years of field research, the talk reveals the excitement of discovering new species of amphibians and reptiles in cloud forests and Amazonian valleys. These experiences, however, are intertwined with a global crisis: the spread of the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, responsible for a dramatic decline in amphibian populations. Through exploration, scientific investigation, and unexpected challenges, the talk highlights the link between species discovery, emerging diseases, and the accelerating loss of biodiversity, offering a reflection on the future of global ecosystems.
Alessandro Catenazzi’s research focuses on the systematics and conservation of Neotropical amphibians and reptiles, as well as the ecological dimensions of biodiversity, with activities primarily in the Andes and the Amazon. He collaborates with museums and research institutions to describe new species and reconstruct the phylogenies of frogs from the eastern slopes of the Andes, among the richest in the world. His studies use phylogenies as a tool to compare physiological traits among species, with particular attention to thermal preferences, heat tolerance, and the effects of climate change. A central theme of his work is also the impact of fungal diseases on amphibians, which are severely threatened worldwide, and the development of strategies to mitigate the effects of chytridiomycosis. He is a member of the Amphibian Red List Authority, an associate researcher at the Instituto Peruano de Herpetología and CORBIDI and holds the position of Half-Earth Chair at the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation.
For reservations, please send an email to iicmiami.segreteria@esteri.it.