Obtaining a map of the European butterfly genetic diversity is one of the objectives of the Butterfly Diversity and Evolution Lab at IBE (CSIC-UPF). So far, all the butterfly species of the Iberian Peninsula and Romania have been studied using a mitochondrial marker. Currently, the study is expanding to cover all the west Mediterranean. The results are important in order to understand the evolution and biogeography of the species, as well as for the conservation of the most differentiated lineages. Finally, the project is allowing a first glimpse of the potential cryptic biodiversity in this group of insects: species that have never been noticed because they are externally identical to others.

See more on Roger Vila's Research Lab