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Topic · Genetics

Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy

Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy is a research topic within Genetics. Science Explorer counts 20k research works in it since 1950. 10.0% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

This cluster of papers focuses on the use of DNA barcoding to identify and classify Lepidoptera species, particularly butterflies and moths. It explores the application of DNA-based registry systems, molecular phylogenetics, and evolutionary patterns within the Lepidoptera order. The research also delves into the challenges and successes of using DNA barcodes for species identification and delimitation.

  • DNA Barcoding
  • Lepidoptera
  • Taxonomy
  • Evolution
  • Phylogeny
  • Molecular Phylogenetics
  • Butterflies
  • Moths
  • Cryptic Species
  • Biodiversity
Research works
20k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
2k
per year above
Top-10% rate
10.0%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Growth, 2018-21 → 2022-25
+26%
the tick is no change
Largest producer
China
17% of the 10 largest, 2022-now
Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy

Which countries lead Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy research?

By volume, China and the United States publish the most (484 and 446 works in 2022-now).

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 China 484 works
  2. 2 United States 446 works
  3. 3 India 406 works
  4. 4 Belgium 289 works
  5. 5 Russia 289 works
  6. 6 Zambia 238 works
  7. 7 Brazil 226 works
  8. 8 Germany 166 works
  9. 9 United Kingdom 146 works
  10. 10 South Korea 118 works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

China: 17.2%United States: 15.9%India: 14.5%Belgium: 10.3%6 others listed: 42.1%17%largest
China484 · 17.2%United States446 · 15.9%India406 · 14.5%Belgium289 · 10.3%6 others listed1,183 · 42.1%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy research?

By volume in 2022-now, Institute of Natural Sciences publishes the most Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy research, followed by University of Zambia and Russian Academy of Sciences.

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 Institute of Natural SciencesBelgium 247 works
  2. 2 University of ZambiaZambia 238 works
  3. 3 Russian Academy of SciencesRussia 139 works
  4. 4 Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 66 works
  5. 5 Zoological Survey of IndiaIndia 59 works
  6. 6 Altai State UniversityRussia 51 works
  7. 7 Leibniz AssociationGermany 46 works
  8. 8 Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueFrance 42 works
  9. 9 Natural History MuseumUnited Kingdom 33 works
  10. 10 Smithsonian InstitutionUnited States 27 works

Who are the leading researchers in Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy?

The most-cited researchers publishing on Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy include Richard M. Durbin, Jun Wang and Pamela S. Soltis.

  1. 1 Richard M. Durbin United Kingdom 410k citations
  2. 2 Jun Wang China 340k citations
  3. 3 Pamela S. Soltis United States 165k citations
  4. 4 Arun Kumar Germany 150k citations

Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.

What are the most cited papers in Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy?

The most cited paper in Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy is "Biological identifications through DNA barcodes" (Paul D. N. Hebert, Alina Cywinska, Shelley L. Ball et al., 2003), with 13,617 citations. Next come "Cryptic species as a window on diversity and conservation" (3,580) and "Ten species in one: DNA barcoding reveals cryptic species in the neotropical skipper butterfly Astraptes fulgerator" (3,532).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 Biological identifications through DNA barcodes Paul D. N. Hebert, Alina Cywinska, Shelley L. Ball et al. · Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences Open access 7 Feb 2003 13,617
2 Cryptic species as a window on diversity and conservation David Bickford, David J. Lohman, Navjot S. Sodhi et al. · Trends in Ecology & Evolution Review 29 Nov 2006 3,580
3 Ten species in one: DNA barcoding reveals cryptic species in the neotropical skipper butterfly Astraptes fulgerator Paul D. N. Hebert, Erin H. Penton, John M. Burns et al. · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Open access Oct 2004 3,532
4 Phylogenomics resolves the timing and pattern of insect evolution Bernhard Y. Misof et al. · Science 101 authors 6 Nov 2014 2,883
5 Evolution of the Insects David A. Grimaldi, Michael S. Engel 2005 2,368
All 99 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Where is Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy research done?

The largest centres of Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy research in 2022-now are Brussels (Belgium), Lusaka (Zambia), Beijing (China) and Kolkata (India). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Lusaka, Barnaul and Brussels.

Largest cities, 2022-now

  1. 1 BrusselsBelgium 260 works
  2. 2 LusakaZambia 238 works
  3. 3 BeijingChina 83 works
  4. 4 KolkataIndia 72 works
  5. 5 MoscowRussia 62 works
  6. 6 LondonUnited Kingdom 52 works
  7. 7 BarnaulRussia 52 works
  8. 8 ParisFrance 51 works
  9. 9 Saint PetersburgRussia 51 works
  10. 10 São PauloBrazil 51 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. LusakaZM · 238.0 works191×
  2. BarnaulRU · 51.9 works97×
  3. BrusselsBE · 259.7 works41×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy than the world average.

See Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy on the map

Where is the best place to study Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy?

Among universities, judged by research, University of Zambia, University of Helsinki and University of Turku score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%10%20%30%mean 12.35%fractional works in this field (log) →share of work in the world top 10% →University of HelsinkiUniversity of TurkuNational University …University of Zambia
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the first ten of the table below, at the default weights. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

Excellenceshare of its work in the world top 10%, 2022-now and all time averaged
40%
Specialisationhow much of its work is in this field, counted up to 10× the world share
10%
Sizeits output in this field, on a log scale
30%
Growthoutput growth, counted from -20% to +20%
10%
Internationalshare of its work with a co-author abroad
10%
Each slider sets a weight; the share it gets of the score is beside it.
#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1University of ZambiaZambia 55.00.0%421.8×238 -
2University of HelsinkiFinland 53.728.1%3.8×11 -22.0%
3University of TurkuFinland 49.412.6%10.6×14 -1.7%
4National University of San MarcosPeru 41.46.8%25.1×25 +34.1%
5Universidad Nacional de ColombiaColombia 41.418.5%7.2×10 +6.0%
6Altai State UniversityRussia 40.37.1%201.5×50 -5.8%
7Hebei UniversityChina 40.210.7%21.4×19 +239.9%
8University of FloridaUnited States 38.514.3%5.5×24 -51.6%
9Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)Brazil 37.918.6%3.4×10 -22.2%
10University of Hawaii SystemUnited States 37.56.8%53.0×14 -11.9%

Universities only. The score blends excellence (40%), size (30%), specialisation (10%), growth (10%), international reach (10%), 2022-now; growth compares 2018-21 with 2022-25 and counts up to +20%, since a jump from a small base is mostly noise.

Every institution in Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy, country by country

Is Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy research growing?

Output in 2022-2025 was 26% higher than in 2018-2021, peaking in 2023. The fastest-growing topics are Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy.

still counting19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.015% in 2024.

still counting0.020%0.040%Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy0.019% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Year by year.

still counting5%10%15%Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy9.6% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's works in it, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for their field and year. A field is the world for its own topics, so there is no other line to hold it against.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

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