Scientists have discovered nine new species of butterflies in old museum archives

Researchers from London's Natural History Museum have discovered nine new species of butterflies using genetic analysis of ancient specimens. This discovery was made as part of the AMISTAD international project, which aims to study the neotropical butterflies of South America. This was reported by Popular Science magazine on December 21.

"Thanks to the genetic revolution and the collaboration of researchers and museums from different countries led by the London Museum of Natural History, butterflies that have existed for centuries can now communicate with us. By comparing modern DNA with ancient DNA from historical samples, we can resolve disputes about long-confused and unnoticed species and discover greater biodiversity than previously known," said Christophe Fainel, an entomologist at the Entomological Society of the Antillean Guianas.

According to the publication, scientists used more than 1,000 butterfly specimens from collections around the world. This made it possible to identify previously undetected species in the genus Thereus. Special attention in the study was paid to the Genena butterfly group of the Theclinae subfamily. Previously, it was believed that it has only five species, but the results of the team's work showed that there are many more.

Blanca Huertas, chief curator of butterflies at the Museum of Natural History and co-author of the study, clarified that the discovered species were collected 100 years ago in habitats that may no longer exist at the moment. According to her, this endangers the existence of the species and highlights the urgency of the work.

One of the most unusual moments was the extraction of genetic material from a butterfly's foot, which was found more than 100 years ago. This allowed the researchers to study the physical differences between the butterflies, which were visually similar but turned out to be different species.

According to the publication, Thereus cacao, Thereus ramirezi and Thereus cpnfusus are among the newly discovered butterflies. This discovery, it is claimed, not only expands the understanding of biodiversity, but also highlights the importance of preserving museum collections, which are key to the study of endangered species and maintaining ecological balance.

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On December 11, the journal PLOS One reported the discovery of a new species of miniature frog in Southern Brazil. The amphibian has a bright orange color and barely exceeds 1 cm in size. It turned out that she belongs to the family of shortheads. The new species was named Brachycephalus lulai, in honor of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

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