"A New Challenge to Species Delimitation: Remarkable Genomic and Ecological Diversity in the Butterfly Melitaea diamina" has been published! Read it here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.... #PublishedArticle @WileyInResearch

Threatened Clouded Apollo butterfly conceals two species distinguishable by scent🦋 📕A study led by @ibe-barcelona.bsky.social reveals that they hybridised during the last glacial period, leaving a genetic signature in today’s Pyrenean populations.🧵 👉https://shorturl.at/0s5Zl

Yes, Palaeophilotes (=Pseudophilotes) panoptes is present in SE France! Check Aurélien Gaunet’s recent study documenting the contact zone, genetic, morphological and ecological differences. doi.org/10.32800/abc... Published in ABC, a great journal by @museuciencies.cat @ibe-barcelona.bsky.social

📣The @ibe-barcelona.bsky.social is hosting the 3rd edition of BiodIBErsity Day, an interdisciplinary event focused on the #biodiversity crisis and planetary well-being, featuring talks by leading international speakers. Save your spot✍️ https://shorturl.at/Gpoz7

#BiodIBErsityDay2026 🗣️"From invasion success to elytral color variation: pheno-genomic insights from the ladybird Harmonia axyridis". 🐞 by Arnaud Estoup, from @inrae-france.bsky.social 📅 22 May 2026 📍 CMIMA, Barcelona ⏳ Register before May 10th👉http://shorturl.at/4LXjw

The DNA barcode reference library for European ants is out! 🐜🧬 doi.org/10.1111/1755... Checklist of 650 species, ~78% covered 🧬, +6,500 COI 🧬, plus species genetic maps & trees, see Supp. Inf. "Atlas" tinyurl.com/antdnaeuatlas A framework for species discovery, biosurveillance, and phylogeography!

Something big happened on March 27th: I defended my PhD and had so much fun doing it 🎓🎉

What if we could read the DNA of every butterfly and moth species in Europe? 🦋 That’s our goal: Sequencing ~11,000 Lepidoptera genomes to understand how they evolved, how they adapt, and how we can protect them🌎. Interview led by our hub @ibe-barcelona.bsky.social 🧬: www.lasexta.com/tecnologia-t...

El proyecto Psyche sitúa las mariposas a la vanguardia de la genómica de la biodiversidad

Esta investigación secuenciará a escala cromosómica las 11.000 especies descritas de lepidópteros (mariposas y polillas) en Europa, revolucionando así la genómica de la biodiversidad. Ya se han secuen...

lasexta.com

New paper! A sharp genetic split across the African equator in migratory Belenois butterflies 🦋. B. aurota is restricted to the Northern Hemisphere, while B. syrinx is reinstated for the Southern African hemisphere. Both species are cryptic!

New #OpenAccess research in #RESSystematicEnt The evolutionary retreats of #Cyaniris semiargus — beach or mountain? Contrasting paths across #EcologicalGradients doi.org/10.1111/syen.70034 #ddRADseq #Lepidoptera #GeneticDiversity #Biodiversity #EcologicalSpeciation

Out in MEC! New study led by @dariashipilina.bsky.social links resource limitation as a driver of migration in the painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui). The authors show how resource cues reshape gene expression across development. Read more: buff.ly/dogof9L 📷: Daria Shipilina 1/2

Do you prefer the mountain 🏔️ or the beach 🏖️? The Mazarine blue chose both. Genomics uncover hidden diversity and lead to the description of two new subspecies from isolated montane and coastal populations in Iberia. New #butterfly #openaccess paper in #SystematicEntomology at doi.org/10.1111/syen...

Globetrotting not in the genes | New findings about painted lady butterfly’s annual migration Painted lady butterflies are world travelers. The ones we encounter in Europe fly from Africa to Sweden, ultimately returning to areas north and sou... weiterlesen

Les papallones migren en direccions oposades segons l’hemisferi 🦋 📕Un equip internacional liderat per l’@ibb-botanic.bsky.social, amb participació de l’ @ibe-barcelona.bsky.social, documenta el primer cas de “divisió migratòria” en la papallona Vanessa cardui.🧬 👉https://shorturl.at/LVbhf

A migratory divide in insects! 🦋 Vanessa cardui butterflies migrate in opposite directions in the Northern and Southern hemispheres 🌍, a pattern driven by a chromosomal inversion 🧬 Paper @natcomms.nature.com doi.org/10.1038/s414... #butterflymigration #insectmigration #migratorydivide #evolution

El projecte Psyche situa les papallones a l’avantguarda de la genòmica de la biodiversitat 🦋 📕L’ #IBE_Barcelona participa en el projecte Psyche, la primera iniciativa transnacional destinada a generar i estudiar genomes de referència d’un ordre animal complet.🧵 👉https://shorturl.at/9ofIE

The DNA of butterflies & moths is supporting conservation, shedding light on evolution, and could find new ways to stop pests 🦋 1,000 genomes have been released, and @projectpsyche.bsky.social aims to continue until all 11,665 European species have been sequenced🧬 www.sanger.ac.uk/news_item/10...

1,000 butterfly and moth genomes to investigate evolution, climate change resilience, and tackle food security issues

These freely available genomes can be used to answer evolutionary questions, inform conservation and improve food security around the world.

sanger.ac.uk

(1/5)Thrilled to announce our paper on #ProjectPsyche is out! 🦋We describe how we’ve generated 1000+ high-quality genomes for European Lepidoptera, providing an unprecedented resource for biodiversity, conservation, and evolutionary research. #Genomics #Biodiversity www.cell.com/trends/ecolo...

Project Psyche: reference genomes for all Lepidoptera in Europe

Project Psyche is a transnational initiative to generate and study chromosome-level reference genomes of all ~11 000 species of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) found in Europe. Here, we describe t...

cell.com

One of the most exciting projects I have ever been involved in: Project Psyche! Read all about our ambitions and aims. It's ground breaking stuff, just mind blowing and even surreal (27 years ago we did single genes for lep phylogenetics)! @projectpsyche.bsky.social www.cell.com/trends/ecolo...

Project Psyche: reference genomes for all Lepidoptera in Europe

Project Psyche is a transnational initiative to generate and study chromosome-level reference genomes of all ~11 000 species of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) found in Europe. Here, we describe t...

cell.com

🐜 The red fire ant is now established in Europe and could reach the UK This insightful @cnn.com interactive draws on research led by #RogerVila in #Sicily, tracing the origins, expansion, and potential impact of this invasive species.🌍 👉https://shorturl.at/XM1Ft

📣 Mattia Menchetti’s PhD thesis at #IBE_Barcelona — “Exploring the genetic diversity of European ants and butterflies” 🐜🦋 — has received both the Extraordinary Doctoral Award from #UPFBarcelona and the III Premio Tesis Doctoral Relevante from @csic.es . 🏆 👉https://shorturl.at/hbOjE

Very cool paper from @rogervilalab.bsky.social on the Canary islands Hipparchia butterflies just came out! Each island has its own species, seems like no gene flow between the islands! academic.oup.com/isd/article/...

Colonization, diversification and speciation of the genus Hipparchia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in the Canary Islands

Abstract. The Canary Islands harbor numerous endemic species, showcasing a wide array of colonization and diversification patterns. Butterflies belonging t

academic.oup.com

Hospodářská, @petrnguyen.bsky.social et al. investigated genome size and karyotype in Polyommatus and Lysandra butterflies, rejecting polyploidy to confirm karyotypic diversification via chromosome fragmentation in Polyommatinae butterflies. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf157 #genome #evolution

To celebrate the genomes for 1,000 (!) species of Lepidoptera in Europe, Project Psyche has released a preprint outlining our ambitions to jointly sequence & leverage genomes of all 11,000 species in Europe to propel science, conservation & society. This was a joy to write together as a community!

Project Psyche@projectpsyche.bsky.social · 11mo ago

(6/6)📄 In our new whitepaper (EcoEvoRxiv) we discuss our aims to coordinate this collaborative analysis of Lepidoptera genomes, turning data into impact for science, conservation and society. Now available at 👉 ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v... #ProjectPsyche #Genomics

(1/6) 🦋 We are thrilled to announce the release of the 1,000th reference genome of Lepidoptera species found in Europe! This goal was reached with the release of Stenoptilia islandicus, also known as the mountain plume moth. Read the story below!👇🏽

How many chromosomes can an animal have? In our paper out now in @currentbiology.bsky.social we show that the Atlas blue butterfly has 229 chromosome pairs- the highest in diploid Metazoa! These arose by rapid autosome fragmentation while sex chromosomes stayed intact. www.cell.com/current-biol...

Constraints on chromosome evolution revealed by the 229 chromosome pairs of the Atlas blue butterfly

The genome of the Atlas blue butterfly contains ten times more chromosomes than most butterflies, and more than any other known diploid animal. Wright et al. show that this extraordinary karyotype is ...

tinyurl.com

The Atlas blue butterfly evolved 229 chromosome pairs — the most of any animal — over 3 million years, enabling new research 🦋 https://www.sanger.ac.uk/news_item/the-tale-of-the-creature-with-the-most-chromosomes/ @rogervilalab.bsky.social @charlottewright.bsky.social @ibe-barcelona.bsky.social

La historia del animal con más cromosomas 🧬🦋 📕 Un equipo del @sangerinstitute.bsky.social y del @ibe-barcelona.bsky.socialha confirmado genéticamente que la mariposa Niña del Atlas posee el mayor número de cromosomas de todos los animales multicelulares del mundo. 👉 https://shorturl.at/MQVOc

New #OpenAccess research by @rogervilalab.bsky.social in #RESSystematicEnt Genomic analysis of #Plebejus Kluk (#Lycaenidae: Polyommatinae) clarifies #taxonomy within Europe doi.org/10.1111/syen.70001 #Genomics #ddRAD @gkergoat.bsky.social @wiley.com Photos: Plebejus spp. (credit: Vlad Dincă)

Another paper on polyommatine blue butterflies just published in @genomebiolevol.bsky.social. Blues have high chromosome numbers associated with increased diversification and their karyotypes reveal strategies to maintain genomic integrity amidst profound karyotypic changes doi.org/10.1093/gbe/...