DOI: 10.5061/dryad.k6djh9w3h
title: Data on expert assessments of colour pattern variation in Erebidae and Noctuidae moths in Sweden

description: Besides variation among animal species in ground colour and in the number,
 size, shape, and distribution of pattern elements, there is also
 considerable intraspecific variation in colour patterns that can manifest
 both between populations inhabiting different environments, and among
 individuals within populations. In previous investigations into the
 consequences of inter-individual variation in colour patterns in moths we
 have relied on a discrete classification with three categories:
 non-variable; variable; or highly variable colour patterns, as jointly
 assessed by Per-Eric Betzholtz and Markus Franzén (e.g., Forsman et al.
 2015, 2016, Franzén et al. 2019). Here we provide the raw data from the
 anonymized assessments of colour pattern variation of 489 species of
 Erebidae and Noctuidae moths in Sweden performed by twelve
 lepidopterologists with extensive experience and expertise of the moth
 fauna in Sweden. In addition, the raw data (on a discrete scale) provided
 by the experts is used to generate a continuously distributed measure of
 the intra-specific colour pattern variation in moths. Despite variation
 among the independent scorers in their assessments of the average level of
 forewing colour pattern variation, there were statistically significant
 consistent differences in average colour pattern variation among the
 different species of moths (for details see Supporting Information I in
 Betzholtz et al. 2019). References Betzholtz, P.-E., A. Forsman, and M.
 Franzén. 2019. Inter-individual variation in colour patterns in noctuid
 moths characterizes long-distance dispersers and agricultural pests.
 Journal of Applied Entomology 143: 992-999. Forsman, A., P. E. Betzholtz,
 and M. Franzén. 2015. Variable coloration is associated with dampened
 population fluctuations in noctuid moths. Proceedings of the Royal Society
 B 282: 20142922. Forsman, A., P. E. Betzholtz, and M. Franzén. 2016.
 Faster poleward range shifts in moths with more variable colour patterns.
 Scientific Reports 6: 36265. Franzén, M., P. E. Betzholtz, and A. Forsman.
 2019. Variable color patterns influence continental range size and
 species-area relationships on islands. Ecosphere 10: e02577.
description: <b>Data on expert assessments of colour pattern variation
 in moths</b> To obtain a quantitative measure of
 the inter-individual variation in colour pattern of moths a questionnaire
 with instructions was distributed together with an Excel file that
 contained a list of 489 moth species in the family Noctuidae and Erebidae
 (according to Aarvik et al. 2017) to 26 lepidopterologists with extensive
 experience and expertise of the moth fauna in Sweden (for details see
 Supporting Information I-II in Betzholtz et al. 2019). Respondents were
 asked to classify species for inter-individual colour pattern variability
 as 0 (non-variable), 1 (variable), or 2 (highly variable) based on their
 own personal experience of individuals observed or captured in Sweden
 until 2015. Species that were sexually dichromatic were classified as
 having variable coloration only if variation was apparent within one or
 both sexes, otherwise they were considered non-variable. Twelve of the
 expert lepidopterologists provided independent classifications of colour
 pattern variation for all or for a subset of the 489 moth species. To
 obtain a continuous measure of colour pattern variability for each
 species, a mean value of colour pattern variation was calculated for each
 species across the values assigned by the twelve independent experts. The
 mean values were then divided by 2 (the highest possible value) to
 generate a variable with a continuous distribution that ranges from 0 to
 1. Finally, the resulting values (+0.1) were transformed to natural
 logarithms to generate an approximately normal distribution (see
 Supporting Information Fig S2 in Betzholtz et al. 2019).
 <strong>References</strong> Aarvik, L., B.
 Å. Bengtsson, H. Elven, P. Ivinskis, U. Jürivete, O. Karsholt, M. Mutanen,
 and N. Savenkov. 2017. Nordic-Baltic Checklist of Lepidoptera. Norwegian
 Journal of Entomology Supplement 3: 1-236. Betzholtz,
 P.-E., A. Forsman, and M. Franzén. 2019. Inter-individual variation in
 colour patterns in noctuid moths characterizes long-distance dispersers
 and agricultural pests. Journal of Applied Entomology 143:
 992-999.
description: The file includes information for 489 species of
 moths on family (Erebidae or Noctuidae), species identity, original colour
 pattern variation score (in three categories (non-variable=0; variable=1;
 or highly variable=2) as jointly assessed by Per-Eric Betzholtz and Markus
 Franzén, and as used in previous contributions), discrete classification
 of colour pattern variation as assessed by 12 anonymous expert
 lepidopterologists (scorer A-L), average colour pattern variation score
 across scorers A-L, average score divided by 2, and the natural
 log-transformed values (of average colour pattern variation score  +
 0.1).