AMISTAD

Project Overview

The AMISTAD project (Advanced Museomics Integrating Systematics & Taxonomy to Accelerate Discovery) focuses on discovering and describing new butterfly species from the Neotropical region. The name “AMISTAD” (friendship in Spanish) honors the collaborative nature of this project. This research addresses critical gaps in our knowledge by studying historical museum specimens collected decades or even centuries ago. The project focuses on specimens in the Natural History Museum London collections, using specialized techniques to extract and analyze degraded genetic material (DNA) that has deteriorated over time.

Duration: 2024 - ongoing Funding: Private Donor Focus: Neotropical butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) Collections: Natural History Museum London (NHMUK) - over 5 million butterfly specimens

Objectives

The research aims to name and study species, increase knowledge of butterflies, contribute to national inventories, and support biodiversity conservation. Key objectives include:

• Data sharing: Facilitate access to data, images and genetic sequences of important historical specimens, both known and yet unidentified
• Collection impact: Multiply the impact of scientific collections and their importance by collaborating with a global network of experts to accelerate species discovery using integrative taxonomy
• Biodiversity conservation: Contribute to species knowledge, increase national species lists, and support biodiversity conservation efforts
• Taxonomic resolution: Resolve relationships between butterfly groups and produce accurate descriptions of new species

Methodology

The project employs integrative taxonomy, combining detailed morphological analyses with molecular studies to resolve relationships between butterfly groups and produce precise descriptions of new species. This approach allows us to study historical museum specimens whose genetic material has degraded over time, requiring specialized techniques for DNA extraction and analysis.

All sequence data, digital images, and specimen records will be made available to the scientific community and countries of origin through public servers such as the Natural History Museum’s data portal: https://data.nhm.ac.uk/

The NHMUK Butterfly Collection

The Natural History Museum London (NHMUK) butterfly collection exceeds 5 million specimens and is one of the richest in species diversity and geographical coverage worldwide, with specimens collected from the 1600s to the present century. These collections constitute a unique resource, providing access to specimens that would otherwise be impossible to collect due to extinction, deforestation, or geographical or political instability in some regions.

Key Research Areas

• Integrative taxonomy: Combining morphological and molecular analyses
• Museum genomics: Extracting DNA from historical specimens
• Biodiversity informatics: Digital data management and sharing
• Species discovery: Taxonomic identification and description of new species
• Conservation genetics: Supporting biodiversity conservation efforts
• Neotropical biodiversity: Focus on South American butterfly fauna

NHM Project Team

• Dr. Blanca Huertas
• Dr. Ben Price
• Dr. Jordan Beasley
• Richard O’Brien
• Ana Martínez Checa

Related Projects

• UK Barcode of Life (UKBOL): Genome skimming methods development
• Biodiversity Genomics Europe (BGE): Genome skimming methods development