Updating Genomic Data of Lepidoptera

Among the insects, lepidopterans form the second most diverse group, with over 155,000 described species. Research on Lepidoptera has a long tradition in several fields, including taxonomy, phylogeny, ecology, population genetics, evolutionary biology, speciation, physiology, development and gene regulation, host–plant and insect–parasite interactions, and, in recent decades, genomics. These studies and genomic resources for them are widely distributed and often widespread in various databases. In this chapter, we analyze the state of the art for genomic resources for Lepidoptera in GenBank for the following genes: elongation factor-1α, wingless, cytochrome c oxidase I, ribosomal DNA and RNA, and in general a number of other protein and enzyme entries; complete mitochondrial genomes; complete nuclear genomes; and published work on barcode methodology. This information will help researchers find gaps in the available resources and direct research efforts in these areas.