Caligo starts with what the network can do now and will expand as funding and partnerships grow.
We invite researchers across the network to propose pilot projects that can begin with the resources and expertise already available in Latin America. These projects will demonstrate our capacity while we seek funding for larger collaborative efforts.
Each pilot project is modest in scope, with two aims: produce scientific results and develop the shared infrastructure, protocols and partnerships needed for larger genomics initiatives in the region.
Show funders that Caligo is an active network capable of generating and collaboratively analysing genomes in Latin America.
Develop and test the full process, from field sampling to final data deposition.
Train the regional network in shared protocols for consistent, high-quality work across sites.
Establish clear, replicable processes for permits, Nagoya Protocol compliance and benefit-sharing agreements.
Define data and quality standards before scaling to larger sample sizes.
Estimate costs based on the actual logistics of fieldwork and sequencing in Latin America.
Publish scientific results that give the initiative credibility.
Bring existing projects and ideas from the Caligo community together under a shared initiative.
Heliconius sapho, dorsal view, Colombia. This species belongs to the chromosome-variable sapho group.
Photo: desertnaturalist / iNaturalist, via GBIF. · Source · CC BY 4.0
Most Heliconius have 21 chromosomes in each haploid set. Five species in the sapho group have up to 60.
What the pilot project would test
Compare chromosome-scale genomes to locate the fissions and fusions and test how they changed gene order and recombination.
Pilot project leads
Nicol Rueda, Joana Meier, Caroline Bacquet
Across 210 butterfly and moth genomes, Wright and colleagues reconstructed 32 ancestral chromosomal units that remained largely intact for about 250 million years. In five species of the sapho group, repeated fissions raised the count from 21 to as many as 60. Researchers have also identified three independent fusions between autosomes and the female-specific W chromosome. Comparisons among these species can show how chromosome rearrangements alter recombination and sex-chromosome evolution. Existing genomes do not explain why the rearrangements spread.
Starting material and capacity
The project already has contributors with samples, genomic data and expertise in analysis, ecology and behaviour.
Parides ascanius, dorsal view, Brazil.
Photo: Pablo Cauã da Silva Toledo / iNaturalist, via GBIF. · Source · CC BY 4.0
Parides ascanius is restricted to coastal restinga and wetlands in south-eastern Brazil, where urbanisation and drainage have reduced its habitat.
What the pilot project would test
Build a reference genome from a documented specimen and compare newly sampled populations with the 2016 results, to test whether gene flow or genetic diversity has changed.
Pilot project leads
Karina Brandão, André Freitas, Gilberto Almeida
The IUCN assessed Parides ascanius as Vulnerable globally in 2018, while Brazil’s national assessment listed it as Endangered in 2021. A 2016 study used mitochondrial COI sequences and eight microsatellite markers to compare the remaining populations. It found little population structure and inferred substantial migration among most sites. Those results do not show whether the populations remain connected today. Habitat loss and drainage can alter movement before populations become genetically distinct.
Starting material and capacity
Frozen material and DNA are available, and new field collection is planned.
Soybean field in Novo Barreiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Photo: Lucas Friederich / Wikimedia Commons. · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Several similar-looking moth species occur in Brazilian soybean fields. Monitoring their movement or insecticide resistance begins with knowing which species was collected.
What the pilot project would test
Identify the species in existing collections, compare their movement across agricultural regions and test which resistance markers are reliable enough for monitoring.
Pilot project leads
Chris Jiggins, Diogo Cavalcante Cabral de Mello, Alberto Soares Corrêa, Henry North
In Brazil, closely related species are confused during monitoring. Brazilian studies have also found that susceptibility to insecticidal proteins is changing, so each species needs repeated testing. Genomic data can distinguish the species, compare movement among populations and identify variants associated with resistance. Field trials, agronomy and growers’ observations are still needed to choose a management response.
Starting material and capacity
Funding exists for several new reference genomes, and the work could expand to other pests.
Panacea prola, dorsal view, Peru.
Photo: desertnaturalist / iNaturalist, via GBIF. · Source · CC BY 4.0
Do they come from one population or from several?
What the pilot project would test
Compare samples from different places and seasons to test where these butterflies came from, whether they belonged to one or several populations and whether the movement recurs in different years.
Pilot project leads
Vicencio Oostra, Jennifer Stewart, Blanca Huertas, Geoff Gallice
In 2020, Gallice and colleagues recorded 2,509 Panacea prola in 50 one-hour observations in south-eastern Peru. Only 19 flew in another direction. The authors presented this as the first evidence of an Amazonian insect migration. Pham and colleagues published the first Biblidinae reference genome, for Batesia hypochlora, in 2026. It is the closest genomic reference for Panacea, but it cannot say where these butterflies came from.
Starting material and capacity
The project can draw on existing population genomic data and high-coverage Illumina data from museum holotypes of two subspecies and Panacea procilla.
