Researchers from the National Museum of Natural History, Sofia participate in release of first 1000 butterfly and moth genomes

The Human Genome Project laid the foundation that revolutionised our knowledge of human health but 25 years on, many species on Earth are yet to be understood in this way. Now the genomics revolution is also transforming how we study and survey biodiversity with the development of affordable and high-throughput sequencing technologies, it is now possible to sequence all life on Earth.

One tenth of all named species on the planet belong to the insect order Lepidoptera — the moths and butterflies. They are vital pollinators, herbivores and food sources for numerous species. They also serve as powerful indicator species for the health and conservation status of ecosystems. Project Psyche is a pan-European research project aiming to sequence the genomes of all butterflies and moths of Europe. Integrating genomics into conservation can help identify new and existing species, so they can be accurately monitored, and investigate the factors that might have led to new species or population decline.

Тhree researchers from the National Museum of Natural History, Sofia participate in the project Psyche, named after the Greek goddess of the soul, who was frequently depicted with butterfly wings and is renowned for her beauty, published a new paper in Trends in Ecology & Evolution marking the release of the first 1000 lepidopteran genomes. This is a significant millestone and we hope this work will have a positive impact on the development of biodiversity genomics discipline in Bulgaria. The Balkan region is an important biodiversity hotspot, especially for insects. This makes Bulgaria a very attractive destination for collecting many of the rare and endemic European butterflies and moth species that remain to be sequenced. The next big field expedition of the project Psyche will be precisely in Bulgaria — researchers, taxonomists and citizen scientists from all over Europe will gather in the Kresna gorge in June 2026 to chase elusive lepidopterans.

This research was funded in part by Wellcome Sanger Institute. A full acknowledgement list can be found in the publication C. Wright, N. Wahlberg, R. Vila, et al. (2025) Project Psyche: reference genomes for all Lepidoptera in Europe. Trends in Ecology & Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2025.10.007.

Project Psyche is an international effort to sequence all 11,665 European butterflies and moths, providing an unprecedented, freely available, genomic resource. These are used to explore evolution and ecology, and inform conservation, agriculture, and biotechnology approaches. There are currently 184 members across 34 countries. The project — named after the Greek goddess of the soul, Psyche, who was depicted with butterfly wings — involves a wide network of researchers, local experts and stakeholders in conservation and industry across Europe and beyond.

The Wellcome Sanger Institute is a world leader in genomics research. We apply and explore genomic technologies at scale to advance understanding of biology and improve health. Making discoveries not easily made elsewhere, our research delivers insights across health, disease, evolution and pathogen biology. We are open and collaborative; our data, results, tools, technologies and training are freely shared across the globe to advance science. Funded by Wellcome, we have the freedom to think long-term and push the boundaries of genomics. We take on the challenges of applying our research to the real world, where we aim to bring benefit to people and society.