The painted lady, or cosmopolitan butterfly (Vanessa cardui), is a model species for understanding the migration patterns of other insects. Researchers have conducted a worldwide survey, amassing a genomic data set unprecedented in the field.
The migration and distribution of many insects has economic consequences, such as pollination in agricultural systems, pest outbreaks and the spread of infectious diseases. The butterfly V. cardui is an ideal model to study population dynamics of insect migrations because the species is distributed worldwide.
Further details: Getting to know the migration of the ‘painted lady’