Mattia Menchetti @mattiamenchetti.bsky.social · 16/09/2026In 2023 we reported Europe's first established fire ant population, in Sicily. Our new update: residents recall Solenopsis invicta since the 1990s, and it now also occurs in 3 more provinces, over 120 km away. We also list 78 ant species around the invaded areas. 🐜🔥 doi.org/10.21426/B6.... 0207
Mattia Menchetti @mattiamenchetti.bsky.social · 07/08/2026Biodiversity: millions of species, impossible to collect them all. So I made a video game where you try anyway. Over 180,000 species, growing every update. Guess where they live, explore Adventure mode, build your field guide. Free, no sign-up, installs like an app. #Biodiversity #IndieGame #MSCAmattiamenchetti.comRangeQuest: Guess. Learn. Collect.Guess where real species live on the world map. RangeQuest is a free biodiversity game: learn the ranges of animals, plants, fungi and more from across the tree of life, build your Field Guide, and ex... 2105
Mattia Menchetti @mattiamenchetti.bsky.social · 21/04/2026The DNA barcode reference library for European ants is out! 🐜🧬 doi.org/10.1111/1755... Checklist of 650 species, ~78% covered 🧬, +6,500 COI 🧬, plus species genetic maps & trees, see Supp. Inf. "Atlas" tinyurl.com/antdnaeuatlas A framework for species discovery, biosurveillance, and phylogeography! 22513
Reposted by Mattia MenchettiEarth BioGenome Project 🌍 @ebpgenome.bsky.social · 13/01/2026🦋🧬 A milestone for biodiversity genomics. Project Psyche is building chromosome-level genomes for ~11,000 European butterflies & moths — 1,000 sequenced, 3,000+ collected, across 34 countries. 🔗 Read the publication: bit.ly/ProjectPsyche @projectpsyche.bsky.social #BiodiversityGenomics 🧬🌍 14621
Reposted by Mattia MenchettiMatt Kerr @mattkerr.bsky.social · 08/01/2026It was great to meet so many other Early Career Researchers at our #TIBS2026 mixer last night - both catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. To celebrate all the ECR Biogeographers, we have created a starter pack so you can follow all the exciting work being done: go.bsky.app/KvnmdnK 25127
Reposted by Mattia MenchettiYuki Haba @yukihaba.bsky.social · 25/10/2025How does life evolve to adapt to modern cities? Out now in Science, my PhD work with @lindymcbr.bsky.social uncovers the ancient origin of the “London Underground mosquito” – one of the most iconic examples of urban adaptation. 🧵(1/n) @science.org www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ady4515science.orgAncient origin of an urban underground mosquitoUnderstanding how life is adapting to urban environments represents an important challenge in evolutionary biology. In this work, we investigate a widely cited example of urban adaptation, Culex pipie... 8253104
Mattia Menchetti @mattiamenchetti.bsky.social · 26/10/2025Thrilled to have received these two prizes for my PhD thesis! 🤩 More info at news covered by IBE. 051
Reposted by Mattia MenchettiProject Psyche @projectpsyche.bsky.social · 13/09/2025(1/6) 🦋 We are thrilled to announce the release of the 1,000th reference genome of Lepidoptera species found in Europe! This goal was reached with the release of Stenoptilia islandicus, also known as the mountain plume moth. Read the story below!👇🏽 26725
Reposted by Mattia MenchettiGael Kergoat @gkergoat.bsky.social · 23/07/2025Our study on the recent invasion of the Little Fire #Ant in Southern Europe (including France!) was published today in Diversity & Distribution @consbiog.bsky.social #OA great collaborative work led by @cbgpmontpellier.bsky.social @inrae-dpt-spe.bsky.social onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 184
Reposted by Mattia Menchetti10kLepGenomes @10klepgenomes.bsky.social · 18/07/2025First field trip of the #WG2 has come to an end! We will share some of the most relevant moments of this fantastic week! Stay tuned 🦋🧬 02517
Reposted by Mattia Menchetti10kLepGenomes @10klepgenomes.bsky.social · 04/06/2025👩🏾💻 It’s finally here! 👩🏾💻 We’re excited to announce the launch of our official website for Cost Action 10kLepGenomes: www.10klepgenomes.eu 🦋 We invite you to explore and stay updated with our progress in Lepidoptera genomics! 🧬 #10kLepGenomes #Lepidoptera #Genomicsw10klepgenomes.eu 01013
Reposted by Mattia MenchettiProject Psyche @projectpsyche.bsky.social · 08/04/2025#Moths and #butterflies hold a special place in the hearts of #ProjectPsyche members, and some have chosen to carry them on their skin forever! 🦋 Check out this collage of Lepidoptera-inspired tattoos from our community, featuring real species and artistic interpretations alike 🎨 0209
Reposted by Mattia MenchettiProject Psyche @projectpsyche.bsky.social · 05/03/2025(1/4)🦋 Introducing Project Psyche! A groundbreaking initiative to sequence the genomes of all 11,000 species of butterflies and moths in Europe. The goal is to analyse this data to understand global climate insecurity and threats to biodiversity on a genomic level🧬 #ProjectPsyche #Genomics 24625
Mattia Menchetti @mattiamenchetti.bsky.social · 01/03/2025Thanks to the Project Psyche and the Sanger Institute for such a fantastic course! 000
Reposted by Mattia MenchettiArthur Matte @arthurmatte.bsky.social · 26/02/2025🚨 New Paper Alert! 🚨 🐜 How did ants evolve their highly specialized queens and workers? With @adriatica.bsky.social, we reveal a key evolutionary innovation: adult control over larval feeding unlocked extreme caste dimorphism and complex societies. 🧵👇 🔗 Read in @pnas.org: doi.org/10.1073/pnas... 27437
Reposted by Mattia MenchettiDavid Peris @davidperis.bsky.social · 21/02/2025📢Exciting Opportunity!! 🙌 We are hiring a reseach assistant! Do you have experience in computerized tomography of insects and 3D segmentation? Come to work with us! @ibb-botanic.bsky.social #LabPaleoecology 167
Reposted by Mattia MenchettiButterfly Diversity & Evolution Lab @rogervilalab.bsky.social · 10/02/2025It’s not the head, it’s the butt! Meet a completely unknown organism: a blow fly (Calliphoridae) that evolved social integration in termite nests using a false termite head in the posterior part of the body. @CurrentBiology www.cell.com/current-biol... 524775
Reposted by Mattia MenchettiJoshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 18/02/2025Awful and they won't be satisfied with even this. If not stopped, DOGE will dismantle American leadership in science & damage communities and economies throughout the US. joshuasweitz.substack.com/p/cutting-th...joshuasweitz.substack.comCutting the National Science Foundation in Half Does Not Leave Us With a National Science FoundationThe administration is threatening America’s science and technology research infrastructure. They may not succeed. But it’s a threat that should be taken seriously. 0168
Reposted by Mattia MenchettiRob Waterhouse @rmwaterhouse.bsky.social · 17/02/2025Robin Waples' reference manual for the elegant, yet hideously complex concept of effective population size (Ne) #biodiversity #genomics #conservation #evolution onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...onlinelibrary.wiley.comThe Idiot's Guide to Effective Population SizeThis is a reference manual for the elegant, yet hideously complex concept of effective population size (Ne), inspired by a classic, self-published manual of automotive repair ‘for the compleat idiot’... 15128
Mattia Menchetti @mattiamenchetti.bsky.social · 10/02/2025Thrilled to receive the #MSCA grant with the AntTRAILS project! 🎉 I will explore the genomic legacy of human transitions in Mediterranean ants across history at Bonnie Blaimer’s lab (@mfnberlin.bsky.social) and with Pablo Librado (@ibe-barcelona.bsky.social). Lots of ants and fun ahead! 🐜 180