It’s taken more than a decade, but scientists have cracked the case of these colorful insects found thousands of miles away from home.
are known for flying thousands of miles from Europe to Africa. Now researchers know why the insects sometimes show up in South America, too.spent several days patrolling a beach in French Guiana in search of what he called “the impossible”—a painted lady butterfly.Painted lady butterflies from Europe fly thousands of miles south to spend their winters in parts of tropical Africa, such as the Guera Mountains in Chad.
All of which begs the question, how many other insects may be making similar journeys without us noticing? Entomologist Gerard Talavera and biochemist Roger Vila previously tracked painted lady butterfly migrations between Europe and Africa.Genomics seemed like a logical next step. After looking at painted lady DNA samples from North America, Europe, and Africa, the scientists ruled out North America—the closest location to French Guiana—as a source population.
Using all the isotopic information, the team modeled ecosystems that would provide suitable habitat for the insects, which pointed to the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Portugal, Mali, Senegal, and Guinea-Bissau.
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