Biodiversity Data Journal :
Data paper
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Morphological and Geographical Traits of the British Odonata
Corresponding author:
Academic editor: Sarah Faulwetter
Received: 17 Dec 2013 | Accepted: 28 Jan 2014 | Published: 29 Jan 2014
© 2014 Gary Powney, Stephen Brooks, Louise Barwell, Phil Bowles, Robert Fitt, Alyson Pavitt, Rebecca Spriggs, Nick Isaac
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Powney G, Brooks S, Barwell L, Bowles P, Fitt R, Pavitt A, Spriggs R, Isaac N (2014) Morphological and Geographical Traits of the British Odonata. Biodiversity Data Journal 2: e1041. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.2.e1041
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Trait data are fundamental for many aspects of ecological research, particularly for modeling species response to environmental change. We synthesised information from the literature (mainly field guides) and direct measurements from museum specimens, providing a comprehensive dataset of 26 attributes, covering the 43 resident species of Odonata in Britain. Traits included in this database range from morphological traits (e.g. body length) to attributes based on the distribution of the species (e.g. climatic restriction). We measured 11 morphometric traits from five adult males and five adult females per species. Using digital callipers, these measurements were taken from dry museum specimens, all of which were wild caught individuals. Repeated measures were also taken to estimate measurement error. The trait data are stored in an online repository (https://github.com/BiologicalRecordsCentre/Odonata_traits), alongside R code designed to give an overview of the morphometric data, and to combine the morphometric data to the single value per trait per species data.
Odonata, trait data, body size, distribution status, habitat preference, wing length, generation time
Trait data are vital components of many ecological, evolutionary and conservation research projects. A useful definition for a trait was provided by
There are 43 resident species of Odonata in Britain (dependent on taxonomic classification), including widespread common species and rarer species with a restricted range. Odonata have shown phenological and distributional shifts in response to climate change, and habitat destruction has caused widespread declines across many species (
The trait data we present are applicable to a wide range of research projects, studies aimed at understanding and predicting the dynamics of Odonata during times of environmental change will particularly benefit from this data.
We provide a comprehensive trait database covering 26 attributes of the 43 resident species of Odonata found in Britain. The database consists of two sections: 1) trait data with a single trait value per species and 2) a database of multiple measurements per species for 11 morphological traits. The data are stored in an online repository (https://github.com/BiologicalRecordsCentre/Odonata_traits), alongside R code designed to combine the two datasets and to give an overview of the available trait data.
Single value per species data
The single value per species dataset contained 15 attributes, these include: body size, body length, larval body length, generations per year, overwintering stage, flight period, flight power, length of activity period, migratory, distribution status, JNCC Red List status, synchronicity, climate restrictions, oviposition, life cycle, breeding habit and various habitat metrics. A variety of sources and expert opinion were used in the collation of the single trait per species trait dataset. An explanation of each trait can be found in the Key tab of Trait_data_and_sources.xls file in the data folder of the GitHub repository. This .xls file also contains all information regarding the original sources of the data. It should be noted that traits derived from distribution data, for example distribution status and climate restrictions, are subject to the quality of the distribution data and should therefore be interpreted with caution. The polygon distribution maps commonly found within field guides are simplifeid coarse-scale interpretations of a species' extent of occurence. We believe that the these coarse-scale range maps are suitable given the broad categories in which species are grouped for the two distribution based traits in this database (distribution status and climate restrictions).
Morphological trait measurement data
We measured several morphological trait variables from dry mounted specimens of Odonata held at the Natural History Museum of London. Specimens were selected based on a pair of random numbers, one for the draw number and the other for specimen number. Specimens could only be selected if they were complete and undamaged. Measurements were made using digital callipers on wild caught adult specimens. Traits measured were: the length, width and depth of the thorax, and the length and width of all four wings (all in mm, with a precision of 0.1 mm). Each trait was measured for 10 individuals from each species, 5 males and 5 females.
R code
We provide two R scripts alongside the trait data in the online repository (https://github.com/BiologicalRecordsCentre/Odonata_traits/tree/master/Scripts). The first, Odonata_trait_summary.r, provides an overview of the morphological trait measurement data. Within the code we have written the function, trait_summary, which produces a series of boxplots highlighting the median and spread of the measurement data for each trait split by sex (See Figs
Repeat measures of each trait were taken from one specimen per species, repeated_trait_measurements.csv. These were used to estimate trait measurement error, which we found were accurate to an average of 0.12 mm.
The single value per trait per species dataset was derived from a literature search (
Data were collated for the 43 resident species of Odonata in Britain.
-90 and 59.00 Latitude; -11.00 and 2.00 Longitude.
We provide trait data for the 43 resident species of Odonata in Britain.
Rank | Scientific Name | Common Name |
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species | Aeshna affinis | Southern Migrant Hawker |
species | Aeshna caerulea | Azure Hawker |
species | Aeshna cyanea | Southern Hawker |
species | Aeshna grandis | Brown Hawker |
species | Aeshna isosceles | Norfolk Hawker |
species | Aeshna juncea | Common Hawker |
species | Aeshna mixta | Migrant Hawker |
species | Anax imperator | Emperor Dragonfly |
species | Brachytron pratense | Hairy Dragonfly |
species | Calopteryx splendens | Banded Demoiselle |
species | Calopteryx virgo | Beautiful Demoiselle |
species | Ceriagrion tenellum | Small Red Damselfly |
species | Coenagrion hastulatum | Northern Damselfly |
species | Coenagrion lunulatum | Irish Damselfly |
species | Coenagrion mercuriale | Southern Damselfly |
species | Coenagrion puella | Azure Damsefly |
species | Coenagrion pulchellum | Variable Damselfly |
species | Coenagrion scitulum | Norfolk Damselfly |
species | Cordulegaster boltonii | Golden-ringed Dragonfly |
species | Cordulia aenea | Downy Emerald |
species | Enallagma cyathigerum | Common Blue Damselfly |
species | Erythromma najas | Red-eyed Damselfly |
species | Erythromma viridulum | Small Red-eyed Damselfly |
species | Gomphus vulgatissimus | Club-tailed dragonfly |
species | Ischnura elegans | Blue-tailed Damselfly |
species | Ischnura pumilio | Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly |
species | Lestes barbarus | Southern Emerald Damselfly |
species | Lestes dryas | Scarce Emerald Damselfly |
species | Lestes sponsa | Emerald Damselfly |
species | Lestes viridis | Willow Emerald Damselfly |
species | Leucorrhinia dubia | White-faced Darter |
species | Libellula depressa | Broad-bodied Chaser |
species | Libellula fulva | Scarce Chaser |
species | Libellula quadrimaculata | Four-spotted Chaser |
species | Orthetrum cancellatum | Black-tailed Skimmer |
species | Orthetrum coerulescens | Keeled Skimmer |
species | Platycnemis pennipes | White-legged Damselfly |
species | Pyrrhosoma nymphula | Large Red Damselfly |
species | Somatochlora arctica | Northern Emerald |
species | Somatochlora metallica | Brillinat Emerald |
species | Sympetrum danae | Black Darter |
species | Sympetrum sanguineum | Ruddy Darter |
species | Sympetrum striolatum | Common Darter |
We synthesised information from the literature (mainly field guides) and direct measurements from museum specimens, providing a comprehensive dataset of 26 attributes, covering the 43 resident species of Odonata in Britain. Traits included in this database range from morphological traits (e.g. body length) to attributes based on the distribution of the species (e.g. climatic restriction). A detailed description of the trait data can be found in the data resources section below.
Column label | Column description |
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Specimen_Number | Unique identifier for the specimen (based on the specimen number in Natural History Museum, London) |
Preservation | Preservation method of the specimen |
Order | The species taxonomic order |
Family | The species taxonomic family |
Genus | The species taxonomic genus |
Species | The species name |
Sex | The sex of the specimen |
thorax_length | The length of the thorax in mm |
thorax_width | The width of the thorax (widest point) in mm |
thorax_depth | The depth of the thorax in mm |
left_forewing_length | The length of the left forewing in mm |
left_forewing_width | The width of the left forewing (at the widest point) in mm |
left_hindwing_length | The length of the left hindwing in mm |
left_hindwing_width | The width of the left hindwing (at the widest point) in mm |
right_forewing_length | The length of the right forewing in mm |
right_forewing_width | The width of the right forewing (at the widest point) in mm |
right_hindwing_length | The length of the right hindwing in mm |
right_hindwing_width | The width of the right hindwing (at the widest point) in mm |
Column label | Column description |
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Species | Species name |
Suborder | The suborder of the species |
Family | The family of the species |
Body_size_min | The minimum length of the abdomen (mm) |
Body_size_max | The maximum length of the abdomen (mm) |
Body_size_median | The median length of the abdomen (mm) |
Partivoltine | A series of voltinism types (Partivoltine, Semivoltine, Univoltine, Bivoltine, Multivoltine), listed in increasing order of voltinism. Species are given a 1 if they express that level of voltinism in the UK, whereas 1* is used to show species that have expressed this level of voltinism outside of the UK. |
Semivoltine | A series of voltinism types (Partivoltine, Semivoltine, Univoltine, Bivoltine, Multivoltine), listed in increasing order of voltinism. Species are given a 1 if they express that level of voltinism in the UK, whereas 1* is used to show species that have expressed this level of voltinism outside of the UK. |
Univoltine | A series of voltinism types (Partivoltine, Semivoltine, Univoltine, Bivoltine, Multivoltine), listed in increasing order of voltinism. Species are given a 1 if they express that level of voltinism in the UK, whereas 1* is used to show species that have expressed this level of voltinism outside of the UK. |
Bivoltine | A series of voltinism types (Partivoltine, Semivoltine, Univoltine, Bivoltine, Multivoltine), listed in increasing order of voltinism. Species are given a 1 if they express that level of voltinism in the UK, whereas 1* is used to show species that have expressed this level of voltinism outside of the UK. |
Multivoltine | A series of voltinism types (Partivoltine, Semivoltine, Univoltine, Bivoltine, Multivoltine), listed in increasing order of voltinism. Species are given a 1 if they express that level of voltinism in the UK, whereas 1* is used to show species that have expressed this level of voltinism outside of the UK. |
Overwintering_stage | Categorical variable with 3 levels: Larvae (L), Eggs (E), Eggs & Larvae (EL) |
Flight_period_start | The start (month) of the flight period. |
Flight_period_end | The end (month) of the flight period. |
Flight_period_duration | The duration of the flight period in months. |
Migratory | Binary variable, do adults routinely migrate to/from the UK. |
Distribution_status | Categorical variable that groups species based on distribution size: very widespread, widespread, local, scarce, rare, very rare. |
JNCC_Red_List_status | Species classified using the national Red List criteria. |
Synchronicity | A variable describing a species emergence strategy: 1) Spring emergence = highly synchronised, 2) Summer emergence = temporally dispersed emergence, 3) Type 3 Summer = Obligatorily univoltine species. |
Climatic_restrictions | Broad climatic categorisation of species based on their distribution pattern: 1) Widespread, 2) Southern, 3) Northern, 4) Continental, 5) Oceanic. |
Lowland_rivers_and_canals | A series of habitat types, species are given a 1 if they utilise the habitat in question. |
Streams_and_upland_rivers | A series of habitat types, species are given a 1 if they utilise the habitat in question. |
Bogs_moorland_and_lowland_wet_heath | A series of habitat types, species are given a 1 if they utilise the habitat in question. |
Levels_fens_and_grazing_marshes | A series of habitat types, species are given a 1 if they utilise the habitat in question. |
Ponds_and_lakes | A series of habitat types, species are given a 1 if they utilise the habitat in question. |
Woodland | A series of habitat types, species are given a 1 if they utilise the habitat in question. |
No_habitat_types | A count of the number of habitat types utilised by the species |
Oviposition | The oviposition strategy of the species, binary variable where species are classified as either Endophytic or Exophytic |
breeding_habitat | Species are classified into groups based on their preferred breeding habitat, either lentic or lotic. Species that are able to utilise both types are listed as lentic/lotic. |
Body_length_min | The minimum value for total body length (mm) |
Body_length_max | The maximum value for total body length (mm) |
Larval_body_length_min | The minimum value for total length of the larvae (mm) |
Larval_body_length_max | The maximum value for total length of the larvae (mm) |
This .xls file contains three sheets. The first lists the same traits that are listed in the "Odonata traits single" .csv, but with additional columns after each trait that refer the reader to the unique identifier of source of the data. The second sheet contains a list of sources with their unique identifiers. The third sheet contains a key to the traits that are included in sheet 1.
Column label | Column description |
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Sheet 1: Data | Contains the traits that are listed in the "Odonata traits single" .csv, but with additional columns after each trait that refer the reader to the unique identifier of source of the data |
Sheet 2: Sources | Contains a list of sources with their unique identifiers |
Sheet 3: Trait key | Contains a key to the traits that are included in sheet 1 |
Column label | Column description |
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Specimen_Number | Unique identifier for the specimen (based on the specimen number in Natural History Museum, London) |
thorax_length | The length of the thorax in mm |
thorax_width | The width of the thorax (widest point) in mm |
thorax_depth | The depth of the thorax in mm |
left_forewing_length | The length of the left forewing in mm |
left_forewing_width | The width of the left forewing in mm |
left_hindwing_length | The length of the left hindwing in mm |
left_hindwing_width | The width of the left hindwing in mm |
right_forewing_length | The length of the right forewing in mm |
right_forewing_width | The width of the right forewing in mm |
right_hindwing_length | The length of the right hindwing in mm |
right_hindwing_width | The width of the right hindwing in mm |
We would like to thank all the field biologists who have made these datasets possible. We are grateful to Christopher Hassall, Sarah Faulwetter, Lyubomir Penev and one anonymous reviewer for their valuable comments on an earlier version of this manuscript. This work was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).