Project Psyche
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projectpsyche.bsky.social
Project Psyche
@projectpsyche.bsky.social
310 followers 96 following 65 posts
Sequencing the genomes of all 11,000 species of butterflies and moths across Europe. Find out more at projectpsyche.org
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projectpsyche.bsky.social
(5/6)The #ProjectPsyche community is also forming international teams to jointly use these genomes to:
🧬 Drive discovery with genome data.
🌍 Inform conservation strategies.
📌 Help tackle societal challenges.
Link Psyche: www.projectpsyche.org
The potential of Psyche genomes to address evolutionary questions and impact society. A. Evolution of chromosome structure through fusions, fissions and inversions. B. 3D genome, chromosome territories. C. Compartments and topologically associated domains (TADs). D. Time-calibrated species phylogeny. E. Diversification rates over time of two lineages. F. Discordance between phylogenies (e.g. horizontal gene transfer, cobionts, mitochondria, hybridisation). G. Gene duplication, loss, transfer, and gain of new regulatory elements. H. Gene evolution/copy number variation in the context of a tree, and correlation with phenotypic traits. I. Gene expression across different conditions/states and association with phenotypic traits. J. Population size changes over time in three lineages. K. Tracking species range expansion or genetic connectivity across space. L. Correlates of genetic diversity with traits such as range size. M. Food security. Lepidoptera are an important source of food and protein which has potential for expansion facilitated by genomics. In addition, genomics aids tracking and management of species of Lepidoptera which are major agricultural pests. N. Discovery of new compounds for biotechnology. O. Integrating genomics with ecology and taxonomy will feed into knowledge dissemination to the public and influence policy P. Genetic comparisons between populations, informing conservation units and species re-introductions Q. Conservation case studies, Large Blue and Apollo butterflies
September 13, 2025 at 5:35 PM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
(4/6)🚀 For #ProjectPsyche, this is just the beginning. This ambitious pan-European project involves:
🔹 184+ researchers
🔹 34 countries
The goal? To sequence all 11,000 European Lepidoptera species!
These chromosome-level genomes are openly available for anyone to use.
Sequencing the diversity of Lepidoptera found in Europe. A. Comparison of the status of sequencing for Lepidoptera compared to the other orders within Arthropoda. Showing the ten orders with the highest numbers of chromosome-level genomes. Data derived from GoaT on 05.09.2025. B. The tree shows family relationships between all families of Lepidoptera which have representatives in Europe. The tree structure is adapted from [54, 117]. The outer ring shows a stacked bar chart of the number of species sequenced (dark pink) out of the total number per family in Europe (light pink). The figure was generated using iToL (https://itol.embl.de/). Representative species are shown alongside the phylogeny; Micropterix aruncella (Micropterigidae), Triodia sylvina (Hepialidae), Adela croesella (Adelidae), Tinea trinotella (Tineidae), Yponomeuta malinellus (Yponomeutidae), Notocelia uddmanniana (Tortricidae), Apatura iris (Nymphalidae), Zygaena filipendulae (Zygaenidae), Recurvaria leucatella (Gelechiidae), Blastobasis adustella (Blastobasidae), Parapoynx stratiotata (Crambidae), Thyatira batis (Drepanidae), Lymantria monacha (Erebidae). C. Map of locations of sample collection hubs (yellow stars) and sequencing hubs (blue star). Locations of member organisations that are part of the Project Psyche consortium are represented by red circles.
September 13, 2025 at 5:35 PM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
(3/6) Achieving the 1,000-genome milestone was made possible by collaborative projects including:
🔹 Darwin Tree of Life (DToL)
🔹 Project Psyche
🔹 European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA)
Roughly half of the genomes came from DToL & half from Psyche.
The Project Psyche workflow: From catching Lepidoptera to annotated reference genomes. A. Lepidoptera are caught with traps or nets and photographed in a standardised way. For most specimens the head is used for long-range (Hi-C) sequencing, the thorax for long-read (PacBio) sequencing and the abdomen for RNA sequencing. The wings are stored in glassine envelopes. B. PacBio reads are aligned against each other to reconstruct contiguous sequences (contigs) for each haplotype separately. Hi-C reads are used to identify the set of contigs belonging to the same haplotype. Because some regions are not sequenced well, e.g. repeat-rich regions, there are gaps between contigs. Hi-C reads are used to bridge those gaps and join contigs in the right order and orientation together into scaffolds. After manual curation, these scaffolds mostly represent entire chromosomes. C. Protein-coding genes in the genome are annotated using species-specific RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data and protein homology evidence. Standardised resources will also be generated for each genome, including variant calls, annotation of sequence features such as transposable elements, and 5mC methylation calls obtained from PacBio data. These annotations will all be available in LepBase.
September 13, 2025 at 5:35 PM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
(2/6)This pretty moth was collected by Marko Mutanen and Niina Kiljunen from the slopes of a fell in Enontekiö, Finland.

Fun facts about this species:
🌱 Larvae feed on mossy saxifrage
🦋 Adults have feathery wings held at right angles.
Photo of Stenoptilia islandicus by Marko Mutanen
September 13, 2025 at 5:35 PM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
(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!👇🏽
Genome sequencing progress for Lepidoptera. Stacked bar charts represent the cumulative number of lepidopteran species with a reference genome per year. The colours represent the different levels of genome assembly quality, ranging from contig to chromosome-level. Numbers in brackets represent the range in numbers of species that have a given assembly level per year. Data derived from GoaT on 05.09.2025.
September 13, 2025 at 5:35 PM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
(1/5) The @universidadoviedo.bsky.social is contributing directly to the future of biodiversity genomics through its entomological collection and experts.
@erebiologa.bsky.social and @entomoprofessor.bsky.social, taxonomists based at Oviedo, are active members of #ProjectPsyche
Laura (left) and Mónica (right) at the Psyche Project meeting held at Lund University in March 2025.
June 2, 2025 at 9:12 AM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
🎉 Congrats to our #CuratorOfTheMonth — Bulah!
Thanks for your great work! 👏

#ProjectPsyche #GenomeCuration #Lepidoptera
Portrait of Bulah next to the Hi-C map of the genome of Diacrisia sannio, a species sampled by Kay Lucek at the University of Neuchâtel.
May 19, 2025 at 9:17 AM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
(2/4) ❓ What are #STSMs?
They’re an initiative to foster scientific collaboration across Europe by funding research visits to labs abroad. The call aims to support researchers and build partnerships to advance the goals of the 10KLepGenomes COST Action for #Lepidoptera research 🦋
Infographic summarising the goals of the STSMs (gain new partnerships, learn new techniques, access new resources) using a white and orange colour palette.
May 2, 2025 at 1:08 PM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
(1/4) 📣 Exciting news! 📣
The #10KLepGenomes COST Action has opened the first call for Short Term Scientific Missions #STSMs
Keep reading for all the details 👇
Logo of the 10kLepGenomes COST Action. Orange text "10K LEP GENOMES" accompanied by a design that uses the number 10 and the letter "K" to represent a butterfly and DNA.
May 2, 2025 at 1:08 PM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
(3/3) They also shared insights on the network of regional hubs—collaborative nodes around the globe coordinating sampling, sequencing, and training.
Together, we’re building a truly global initiative 🦋🌍
#10kLepGenomes #ProjectPsyche #sciencecollaboration
Valéria and Loukia presenting the different hubs involved in the Psyche Project, with a slide showing a map of Europe and the hubs highlighted with red dots.
April 21, 2025 at 8:42 AM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
(2/3)They introduced Phase 1 of #ProjectPsyche: Over the next 2 years, the Tree of Life programme at the Wellcome Sanger Institute will sequence and assemble to chromosomal completeness the genomes of 2,000 Lepidoptera species. A bold first step toward a comprehensive genomic atlas! 🧬🌍
Valéria and Loukia with a slide presenting phase 1 of the project to the meeting attendees
April 21, 2025 at 8:42 AM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
(1/3) Our collaborators
@anguisvaleris.bsky.social and Loukia presented the #ProjectPsyche and the COST Action #10kLepGenomes at the @ibe-barcelona.bsky.social (IBE-CSIC-UPF)! 🧬🦋
Grateful for the chance to share our vision and spark new connections!
Logo of the Institute of Evolutionary Biology of the CSIC
April 21, 2025 at 8:42 AM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
#Moths and #butterflies hold a special place in the hearts of #ProjectPsyche members, and some have chosen to carry them on their skin forever! 🦋
Check out this collage of Lepidoptera-inspired tattoos from our community, featuring real species and artistic interpretations alike 🎨
Collage of Lepidoptera-inspired tattoos featuring Actias isabellae, Erebia palarica, Acherontia atropos, Heliconius hermathena vereatta, Urbanus esmeraldus, Erebia euryale, Danaus plexippus and other Lepidoptera-related designs.
April 8, 2025 at 9:43 AM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
(3/5) Decentralised collection hubs are currently located at institutional partners in Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Italy, Czech Republic and Romania #ProjectPsyche
Institutional logos of the decentralized hubs of Project Psyche
April 2, 2025 at 9:57 AM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
(2/5) During this first phase, the Psyche community has established seven sampling hubs across Europe, which collected and cryo-preserved at least 200 species of #Lepidoptera each 🌍🧬
Map of Europe. Stars show the seven sampling hubs of Project Psyche
April 2, 2025 at 9:57 AM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
(1/5) It’s been a month since the Spring Meeting—let’s look back at some milestones from #ProjectPsyche Phase 1!
Photo of a sign showing the information of the 10KLepGenomes Workshop in Lund with a black arrow pointing to the left
April 2, 2025 at 9:57 AM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
(3/5) Decentralised collection hubs are currently located at institutional partners in Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Italy, Czech Republic and Romania #ProjectPsyche
April 2, 2025 at 9:43 AM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
(2/5) During this first phase, the Psyche community has established seven sampling hubs across Europe, which collected and cryo-preserved at least 200 species of #Lepidoptera each 🌍🧬
April 2, 2025 at 9:43 AM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
(1/4) In its first year, #ProjectPsyche has engaged with the research community by creating networks with experts in moths and butterflies 🦋 Members of the project have also trained the research community in #GenomeCuration, a key step in the generation of genomes 🧬
March 20, 2025 at 7:43 AM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
Today, we celebrate the #Women of #ProjectPsyche as part of #InternationalWomensDay! We champion inclusivity and gender equality in #Science to ensure equal opportunities for all. Meet part of the team that joined our meeting in Lund #WomenInSTEM #8M 🟣
March 8, 2025 at 2:36 PM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
Day 2 of the #ProjectPsyche Spring Meeting is complete! Participants made great progress with productive discussions on key tasks and role assignments. Stay tuned for what’s next! 🦋🧬
March 7, 2025 at 4:30 PM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
4/4 To advance genomics and conservation, we need strong foundations in taxonomy. Supporting collections and researchers means securing the future of biodiversity science. Let’s make sure this knowledge is preserved for generations to come! 🦋 #ProjectPsyche
March 7, 2025 at 10:25 AM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
3/4 #Taxonomy is crucial for biodiversity research. Investing in #ScientificCollections and training taxonomists ensures we continue identifying, studying, and protecting species 🔍 #BasicScience
March 7, 2025 at 10:25 AM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
2/4 Why do collections like this matter? These specimens are time capsules of biodiversity, holding crucial data for #taxonomy, conservation, and genomic studies. They contain essential knowledge for understanding climate change impacts📜 #NaturalHistory
March 7, 2025 at 10:25 AM
projectpsyche.bsky.social
1/4 🦋🔬 Project Psyche visits the Entomological Collection at @biologylu.bsky.social ! Our team explored this invaluable resource, where thousands of butterfly and moth specimens help us bridge the past, present, and future of biodiversity research 🌍🧬 #TaxonomyMatters
March 7, 2025 at 10:25 AM