Project Psyche: reference genomes for all Lepidoptera in Europe
Charlotte J Wright, Niklas Wahlberg, Roger Vila, Marko Mutanen, Pável Matos‐Maraví, Kay Lucek, Irena Klečková, Leonardo Dapporto, Vlad Dincă, Claudia Bruschini, Christopher W. Wheat, Marta Vila, Laura Torrado‐Blanco, Valentina Todisco, Michal Rindoš, Petr Nguyen, Peter O. Mulhair, Stefaniya Kamenova, Marcus Hicks, Marianne Espeland, Ines A. Drinnenberg, Mónica Doblas-Bajo, Richard I. Bailey, Mark Blaxter, Joana I. Meier, Giada Zucco, Milica Zlatkovic, Marcin Wiorek, Martin Wiemers, Claudia C. Weber, Pavel Vrba, Vladimir Visacki, Jose Vicente Pérez Santa Rita, Mikko Vallinmäki, Başak Ulaşlı, Eric Toro-Delgado, Gerhard G. Thallinger, Alena Suchackova Bartonova, Jenny Stewart, Clara Spilker, Loukia Spilani, Dominik Schmitz, Benjamin Schattanek-Wiesmar, Petra Schattanek-Wiesmair, Stefano Scalercio, Gábor Sramkó Sramkó, Dejan V. Stojanovic, Cibele G. Sotero-Caio, Jadranka Rota, Mar Repullés, Łukasz Przybyłowicz, Pavel Potocký, Jaakko Pohjoismäki, Erki Õunap, Antonio S. Ortiz, Rayner Nunez, Vazrick Nazari, Ana Nahirnić-Beshkova, Tatiana Moreira, Marco Meyer, Mattia Menchetti, Duane McKenna, Valéria Marques, Konrad Lohse, Lars Littmann, Daniel Linke, Josep Lancho, Sara La Cava, Eva Kriegova, Emre Keskin, Stefaniya Kamenova, Mathieu Joron, Anna K. Hundsdoerfer, Noémie Hévin, Jérémy Gauthier, Madeleine Fabusova, Zdenek F. Fric, Paula Escuer, Brent Emerson, Marianne Elias, Lora Downes, Mónica Doblas-Bajo, Laurence Despres, Thomas Decroly, Camille Cornet, Tinatin Chkhartishvili, Richard Challis, Jon Bridle, Bastien Boussau, Adele Bordoni, Jesper Boman, Stoyan Beshkov, Federica Federica Bertocchini, Saurav Baral, Joaquín Baixeras, Dominic Absolon
Abstract
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.