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Montgomery, S.; Couto, A.

Taxonomic data, neuropil volume measurements, and mushroom body calyx kenyon cell and synapse counts for Heliconiini butterflies, Central and South America, 2012-2016

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This dataset is available under the terms of the Open Government Licence

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https://doi.org/10.5285/de62eff7-6ea4-44d7-a015-2eb9b25cf882
This dataset contains taxanomic and neuropil volume measurements of wild caught heliconiine butterflies, as well as kenyon cell and synapse counts in the mushroom body calyx of insectory -reared heliconiine butterflies.
Wild caught butterflies were sampled from five locations in Central and South America between 2012 and 2016. Locations included Costa Rica, Panama, French Guiana, Ecuador, and Peru. These locations covered a range of habitats from dry to wet forest, at elevations from sea level to 2500m. Interspecific data from wild caught individuals include identification to a species level, sex, and body size, as well as volume measurements of the mushroom body structures, central brain, medulla, and antennal lobe.

Measurements of mushroom body calyx volume, and estimates of Kenyon cell and synapse counts are included for six species of insectary-reared adult heliconiine butterflies (Agraulis vanilla, dryas iulia, eueides Isabella, heliconius melpmonene, heliconius Hortense, heliconius hecale). Two species (dryas iulia, heliconius charthonia) were also sampled for microglomeruli counts.
This dataset was created as part of a NERC Independent Research Fellowship NE/N014936/1, to analyse the evolutionary expansions in mushroom body size in Heliconius butterflies, compared to their closest relatives.
Publication date: 2024-11-15
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View numbers valid from 15 November 2024 Download numbers valid from 15 November 2024 (information prior to this was not collected)

Format

Comma-separated values (CSV)

Spatial information

Study area
Spatial representation type
Tabular (text)
Spatial reference system
WGS 84

Temporal information

Temporal extent
2012-01-01    to    2016-12-31

Provenance & quality

Samples were collected over multiple field seasons across central and south America using a hand-net, fixed in situ and returned to the UK. Fixed samples were then stained with Anti-SYNORF as a primary antibody, cy2 as a secondary antibody, and imaged using confocal microscopy. The resulting images, which highlight boundaries between brain regions, were then segmented using AMIRA software to quantify neuropil volumes.

Insectary-reared samples were obtained using pupae from commercial supplies. Freshly eclosed butterflies were aged in a controlled temperature room at 28 degrees Celsius with 80% humidity with a 12-hour day/night cycle. The cage was enriched with a natural food resource, supplemented by artificial feeders. Butterflies were sampled six to ten days after emergence.

Kenyon cell counts were estimated using immunohistochemical staining against DAPI, imaged with confocal microscopy. Synapse density estimates were made using higher magnification imaging of Anti-SYNORF stained brains, focusing on the calyx. Total count data was obtained by estimating nuclei density/synapse density within sub-sampled regions of a structure, and then extrapolating across the total volume of the structure.

Licensing and constraints

This dataset is available under the terms of the Open Government Licence

Cite this dataset as:
Montgomery, S.; Couto, A. (2024). Taxonomic data, neuropil volume measurements, and mushroom body calyx kenyon cell and synapse counts for Heliconiini butterflies, Central and South America, 2012-2016. NERC EDS Environmental Information Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/de62eff7-6ea4-44d7-a015-2eb9b25cf882

Correspondence/contact details

Montgomery, S.
University of Bristol
Senate House, Tyndall Avenue
Bristol
BS8 1TH
UNITED KINGDOM
 s.montgomery@bristol.ac.uk

Authors

Montgomery, S.
University of Bristol
Couto, A.
University of Bristol

Other contacts

Rights holder
University of Bristol
Custodian
NERC EDS Environmental Information Data Centre
 info@eidc.ac.uk
Publisher
NERC EDS Environmental Information Data Centre
 info@eidc.ac.uk

Additional metadata

Topic categories
biota
INSPIRE theme
Species Distribution
Keywords
Biodiversity , brain , butterfly species abundance , heliconiini , kenyon cell number , lepidoptera , mushroom body , mushroom body calyx , neuropil , synapse density
Funding
Natural Environment Research Council Award: NE/N014936/2
Last updated
21 March 2025 09:32