Miguel López Munguira gained a degree in Biology and Masters at the Universidad Complutense of Madrid; from here he moved to the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), where he did his PhD on endangered butterfly species. He lectured in Zoology in the UAM from 1988 to 2025 and is currently retired.
His academic work was centered on the biology, ecology, biogeography and conservation of lepidoptera, with special attention to Papilionoidea. Morphology studies also received some attention, especially in relation to immature stages of butterflies from the Lycaenidae and Hesperiidae families. His research has resulted in more than 150 published papers and books, more than 40 scientific reports, and papers presented at a large number of national and international conferences.
He chaired Butterfly Conservation Europe (2012-2016) and was a member of the BCE board (2009-2021), being a renowned advisor for the organization. He started up the Spanish Butterfly Monitoring Scheme in 2014 and has coordinated this citizen science platform until 2025.
Together with a team in the UAM, he has led a project to produce the new Atlas and Red Book of the Spanish Butterflies that compiles years of data for the butterflies of Spain. He has extensive fieldwork experience, and a thorough knowledge of the natural areas and wildlife of his Spanish homeland.
