Datasets and scripts from: Sensory-based quantification of male colour patterns in Trinidadian guppies reveals no support for parallel phenotypic evolution in multivariate trait space

Parallel evolution, in which independent populations evolve along similar phenotypic trajectories, offers insights into the repeatability of adaptive evolution. Here, we revisit a classic example of parallelism, that of repeated evolution of brighter males in the Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata). In guppies, colonisation of low predation habitats is associated with emergence of ‘more colourful’ phenotypes since predator-induced viability selection for crypsis weakens while sexual selection by female preference for conspicuousness remains strong. Our study differs from previous investigations in three respects. First, we adopt a multivariate phenotyping approach to characterise parallelism in multi-trait space. Second, we use ecologically-relevant colour traits defined by the visual systems of the two selective agents (i.e. guppy, predatory cichlid). Third, we estimate population genetic structure to test for adaptive (parallel) evolution against a model of neutral phenotypic dive...