The family of Papilionidae (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) is a group of butterflies with high ecological and conservation value. The Hengduan Mountains (HMDs) in Southwest China is an important diversity centre for these butterflies. However, the spatial distribution pattern and the climate vulnerability of Papilionidae butterflies in the HDMs remain unknown to date. The lack of such knowledge has already become an obstacle in formulating effective butterfly conservation strategies. The present research compiled a 59-species dataset with 1938 occurrence points. The Maxent model was applied to analyse the spatial pattern of species richness in subfamilies Parnassiinae and Papilioninae, as well as to predict the response under the influence of climate change. The spatial pattern of both subfamilies in the HDMs has obvious elevation prevalence, with Parnassiinae concentrated in the subalpine to alpine areas (2500–5500 m) in western Sichuan, northwestern Yunnan and eastern Tibet, while Papilioninae is concentrated in the low- to medium-elevation areas (1500–3500 m) in the river valleys of western Yunnan and western Sichuan. Under the influence of climate change, both subfamilies would exhibit northward and upward range shifts. The majority of Parnassiinae species would experience drastic habitat contraction, resulting in lower species richness across the HDMs. In contrast, most Papilioninae species would experience habitat expansion, and the species richness would also increase significantly. The findings of this research should provide new insights and a clue for butterfly diversity and climatic vulnerability in southwestern China. Future conservation efforts should be focused on species with habitat contraction, narrow-ranged distribution and endemicity with both in situ and ex situ measures, especially in protected areas. Commercialised collecting targeting these species must also be regulated by future legislation.

Himalaya and the Tibetan Plateau, known as the ‘land of snow’ and the ‘roof of the world’, is home to tens of millions of indigenous people who live with a staggering amount of biological diversity. In the past decade scientists have applied genomic tools and methods to substantially advance the understanding of phylogeography and genetic mechanisms behind high‐elevation adaptation of local biota. However, contributions from indigenous researchers and native institutions are underrepresented in this scientific endeavour. We point to the higher degree of indigenous contribution within the discipline of conservation biology and how recognizing the prominence of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) could deliver keen molecular ecological insights. Since the Himalaya‐Tibet ecological interface spans five countries, comprehensive biogeographical and phylogeographical taxon sampling in the region requires multi‐national collaborations across indigenous lands as well as indigenous community participation at both national and international levels. For the next generation of indigenous molecular ecologists, researching and cataloguing the evolutionary history and genetic information of the Tibetan and Himalayan landscape is a race against the melting glacier. At the roof of the world, their scientific judgement and stewardship will have environmental impacts that percolate far beyond indigenous lands.

A new species of the genus Neopseustis Meyrick, 1909, Neopseustis chentangensis S.Y. Huang & Chen sp. nov., which was confirmed by both morphological and molecular methods, is described from Xizang, China. This is currently the westernmost species in Asia of the primitive lepidopteran family Neopseustidae. The new species is externally reminiscent of N. moxiensis Chen & Owada, 2009; however, it can be easily distinguished from the latter by comparison of the male genitalia and is further distinguished by the large genetic distance in DNA barcodes (COI). The adult and genitalia of the new and similar species have been illustrated. Utilizing our new data, a new classification of the genus is provided, with its members subdivided into four species groups: the meyricki-group, the moxiensis-group, the bicornuta-group, and the chentangensis-group, which are supported by both molecular and morphological evidence. A checklist of the genus and a key to the species groups are also provided.

A new Nudariina genus, Processuridia S.-Y. Huang & Volynkin gen. n. is erected for two new species described herein: Processuridia thangka S.-Y. Huang & Volynkin sp. n. from southeastern Xizang, southwestern China and P. oreas Volynkin & S.-Y. Huang sp. n. from southeastern Yunnan, southwestern China and Mt. Fansipan, northern Vietnam, with P. thangka sp. n. as the type species of the genus. Based on molecular phylogenetic analysis, the new genus is found to be sister to the clade (Asuridia Hampson + Disasuridia Fang), but it can be easily distinguished from both genera by the unique wing pattern and genitalia features. Adults and genitalia of the aforementioned taxa are illustrated.

A new species, Daplasa medoga sp. nov., is described from Tibet, China. The new species can be distinguished morphologically from all other known Daplasa species by its male genitalia with a sagittate uncus and distally broadly crotched valvae. The validity of new species is well supported by the molecular phylogenetic analyses of one mitochondrial gene (COI) and two nuclear genes (EF-1α & RPS5), with a total length of 2,324 bp.

The Jilong Valley, situated in Rikaze, Xizang, China, is characterized by its complex topography and variable climatic conditions, providing a suitable habitat for Apis cerana Fabricius, 1793. To facilitate the conservation of germplasm resources and maintain genetic diversity, it is imperative to elucidate the population structure and lineage differentiation of A. cerana within this ecologically distinct region. In this study, we collected A. cerana specimens from 12 geographically disparate locations across various altitudinal gradients within the Jilong Valley, and also integrated publicly available sequencing data of A. cerana from various regions across mainland Asia. In total, our analysis encompassed sequencing data from 296 individuals. Population structure analyses based on SNP data revealed that A. cerana in Jilong represents a genetically distinct population that differs markedly from other regional A. cerana populations in terms of genetic lineage, although its subspecies identity remains to be confirmed. Through screening based on F_ST values, we identified SNP loci that contribute significantly to distinguishing between Jilong and non-Jilong A. cerana. Using these loci, the convolutional neural network model TraceNet was trained, which demonstrated specific recognition capabilities for Jilong versus non-Jilong A. cerana. This further confirmed the universality and efficiency of TraceNet in identifying honey bee lineages. These findings contribute valuable insights for the identification and conservation of A. cerana germplasm resources in specific geographical regions.