EarthBioGenome Project Hong Kong:
Butterflies and Next generation of scientists

EarthBioGenome Project Hong Kong: Butterflies and Next generation of scientists, the research project proposes to sequence more than 100 butterfly species in Hong Kong.

According to data from Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department of the HKSAR Government, around 250 butterfly species are recorded in Hong Kong, which include six families of butterfly, while there are in total seven butterfly families in the world, shows the diversity of butterfly in Hong Kong.

As one of the widest distributed insects, butterflies play a crucial role in various ecosystems, they contribute to pollination, indicate environmental changes and support the food web. In the meantime, the fantastic pattern and adorable colors of butterflies attract thousands and thousands of interests and inquisitiveness, which provides valuable opportunities to nurture the next generation of scientists.

We have sequenced two butterfly species, Troides aeacus (Golden Birdwing) and Eurema hecabe (Common Grass Yellow) before and the genome data is available in NCBI now. In the future, we will first sequence the butterfly species common in Hong Kong, following by creating a genome database of Hong Kong butterflies, which helps us to understand the evolutionary pathways of butterflies in Hong Kong. We also aim to support the protection of butterflies, promote collaboration across scientific field for ecosystem understanding by our scientific results.