This dataset presents taxonomic data, and neuropil volume measurements of sensory structures in the brains of wild caught ithomiini butterflies (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Danainae), within a single community in Yasuní national park, Orellana Province, Ecuador, collected in 2011-2012. Variables measured include taxonomic detail, sex, mimicry ring, and the volumes of major sensory neuropils (the medulla, lobula plate, lobula, ventral lobula, accessory medulla, antennal lobe and anterior optic tubercule) and the central brain volume. This dataset was created to examine how sensory environments shape investment in sensory brain centers in butterflies, as part of a NERC Independent Research Fellowship NE/N014936/1. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/8056bba1-8370-4d2b-b537-018c79c8acb0

This dataset provides data on the timing of butterfly flight periods for each UK butterfly species across all monitored sites in the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS). Annual data from over 2,500 sites are presented relating to the timing (first appearance, last appearance, date of peak abundance and mean flight date) and the duration (total number of days, standard deviation around the mean flight date) of the flight period for all UK butterfly species from 1976 to the year in the name of this dataset. Phenology change is a widely used measure of the biological impacts of climate change because of the close relationship between temperature and the timing of biological events. This dataset provides an invaluable tool for assessing the impacts of climate change both spatially and temporally. The UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme is organized and funded by Butterfly Conservation (BC), the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). The UKBMS is indebted to all volunteers who contribute data to the scheme. This work was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council award number NE/R016429/1 as part of the UK-SCAPE programme delivering National Capability. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/b9d237fc-5a79-4449-bcee-34c52d87608f

Collated indices are a relative measure of butterfly abundance across sites monitored as part of the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme. Data from all survey sites (standard UKBMS transects, Wider Countryside Survey transects and targeted species surveys such as timed, larval web and egg counts) are used in the calculation of these indices. The statistics are presented as log10 values. These values are centred round an arbitrary value of 2 as a mean for the time series in order to help show which years are below or above average. Collated indices are calculated annually for each individual butterfly species that has been recorded on five or more sites in that year. Indices are calculated at UK level and at individual country level for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland where sufficient data are available. Based on this criterion, collated indices have been calculated for the entire time series from 1976 (UK, England and Wales), 1979 (Scotland) and 2004 (Northern Ireland) to the current year for the majority of species, but for some rarer species this has not been possible in some years, particular those in the first part of the time series. Collated indices are calculated using a log-linear model incorporating individual site indices from all monitored sites across the UK or country for a given species in a given year. The number of sites for each species ranges from 5 to several hundred or more and fluctuates from year to year. By 2010 almost 2,000 sites were monitored in total across the UK, with this number rising to more than 3,000 over the next decade. Collated indices are calculated so that we can determine how butterfly populations are changing over time across the UK. This data can be used, for example, to determine where to target conservation efforts and more generally the condition of the UK countryside. Butterflies are recognised as important indicators of biodiversity and environmental change, for example in UK and country Biodiversity Indicators, and have been used in numerous studies of the impacts of climate and habitat change on biodiversity. The UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme is organized and funded by Butterfly Conservation (BC), the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). The UKBMS is indebted to all volunteers who contribute data to the scheme. This work was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council award number NE/R016429/1 as part of the UK-SCAPE programme delivering National Capability. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/a70d8b0b-0ef5-484e-8195-42bcfd818229

Here, we present a comprehensive traits database for the butterflies and macro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland. The database covers 968 species in 21 families. Ecological traits fall into four main categories: life cycle ecology and phenology, host plant specificity and characteristics, breeding habitat, and morphological characteristics. The database also contains data regarding species distribution, conservation status, and temporal trends for abundance and occupancy. This database can be used for a wide array of purposes including further fundamental research on species and community responses to environmental change, conservation and management studies, and evolutionary biology. This is the updated version of the dataset, incorporating additions and corrections compared to previous versions (https://doi.org/10.5285/5b5a13b6-2304-47e3-9c9d-35237d1232c6 & https://doi.org/10.5285/33a66d6a-dd9b-4a19-9026-cf1ffb969cdb) Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/dbc7cc17-cbbd-49dd-bab4-8e8855768d66

This dataset includes a set of modelled outputs produced as part of the DECIDE project. Three groups were modelled; butterflies, day-flying moths and night-flying moths. (For the moths, we only considered 'macro-moths'.) For each group there are three outputs; species richness, model variability and DECIDE recording priority. The outputs summarise across multiple species within each group. The model’s prediction probability of occurrence for individual species is not made available. The outputs are in a raster format on Ordnance Survey National Grid reference system (OSGB) at 100m x 100m resolution. Species richness layers are a modelled prediction of how many species are present at a location. Model variability is used to determine where a model is uncertain about its prediction of species occurrence. Model variability is combined with information about how recently a species had been recorded to produce the DECIDE recording priority. The DECIDE recording priority is a measure to prioritise locations to support adaptive sampling of where to collect species occurrence data to improve species distribution models. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/445381ce-f412-48a0-bc3c-2d0ef4737274

This dataset provides linear trends, over varying time periods, for the Collated Indices of individual butterfly species across the UK. The main statistical values derived from a linear regression (slope, standard error, P-value) are presented for the entire time series for each species (1976# to 2024), for the last 20 years, and for the last decade. In addition, trends are classified based on the direction and significance of a linear slope together with an estimated percentage change for that time period. These trend data are provided for all UK butterfly species for which we have sufficient data (58 species). Trends are calculated by performing a linear regression on the annual Collated indices for each species. Collated indices are calculated using a log-linear model incorporating individual site indices from all monitored sites across the UK for a given species in a given year. Trends across different time series allow us to determine the long and short-term status of individual species. This is enables us to focus conservation and research and also to assess species responses to conservation already in place. The UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme is organized and funded by Butterfly Conservation (BC), the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). The UKBMS is indebted to all volunteers who contribute data to the scheme. This work was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council award number NE/R016429/1 as part of the UK-SCAPE programme delivering National Capability. #Because the Collated indices are only calculated for each species in years in which it was recorded on five or more sites, the starting year for the series is later than 1976 for a number of rarer species. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/4cf966ef-4d8e-48de-8368-3a68faf6fbbf