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 the decentralised network of collection and sequencing hubs that has enabled rapid progress, the standardised protocols for sampling and sequencing, and the collaborative framework for data analysis. With over 1000 species already sequenced, Lepidoptera are at the forefront of biodiversity genomics with the most reference genomes of any eukaryotic order. The completed pan-European catalogue of openly accessible lepidopteran genomes will transform our understanding of evolution and ecology, inform conservation, and foster advances in management of pests and invasive species. We highlight research areas that will benefit from this large-scale genome dataset.
Authors
- Pável F. Matos‐Maraví (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2885-4919)
- Kay Lucek (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2253-2556)
- Valentina Todisco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7510-6139)
- Niklas Wahlberg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1259-3363)
- Marianne Espeland (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6800-4783)
- Christopher W. Wheat (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1863-2340)
- Petr Nguyen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1395-4287)
- Stefaniya Kamenova (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7241-0506)
- Claudia Bruschini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9203-7171)
- Laura Torrado‐Blanco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9339-5360)
- Marko Mutanen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4464-6308)
- Marcus Hicks
- Ines A. Drinnenberg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9649-0352)
- Michal Rindoš (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0836-5157)
- Joana I. Meier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7726-2875)
- Vlad Dincă (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1791-2148)
- Leonardo Dapporto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7129-4526)
- Roger Vila (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8292-1871)
- Richard I. Bailey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9870-410X)
- Marta Vila (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8803-9174)
- Charlotte J Wright (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3971-4372)
- Irena Klečková (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9333-213X)
- Peter O. Mulhair (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3311-4883)
- Mónica Doblas-Bajo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4757-5189)
- Mark Blaxter
Institutions
- Universidade da Coruña (ES)
- Twitter (United States) (US)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Sewanee: The University of the South (US)
- University of Liverpool (GB)
- Stockholm University (SE)
- Universidad de Oviedo (ES)
- Queen Mary University of London (GB)
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (ES)
- University of Salzburg (AT)
- Lund University (SE)
- Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BG)
- Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (FR)
- Wellcome Sanger Institute (GB)
- University of Łódź (PL)
- Sorbonne Université (FR)
- Fachhochschule Salzburg (AT)
- Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig (DE)
- Institute of Entomology (CZ)
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (ES)
- Dynamique du noyau (FR)
- Institutul Naţional de Cercetare Dezvoltare Marină Grigore Antipa (RO)
- National Museum of Natural History (BG)
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Biology Centre (CZ)
- University of Florence (IT)
- University of Neuchâtel (CH)
- University of Oulu (FI)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Trends in Ecology & Evolution
- Published
- 2025-11-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2025.10.007
- Citations
- 12
- Primary Topic
- Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 21.81