Local entomologists shine a light on moth communities: The value of amateur records in cataloguing long-term change

The University Museum of Zoology (Cambridge) (UMZC) recently received a collection of macro-moths from the late Gerald Maurice Haggett (1927-2019) (generously donated by his family), which included an estimated 40,000 macro-moth specimens, and 17 books containing written records of moths and other Lepidoptera and wildlife observations. The majority of these records were his own, but the collection also included several written works from other people (listed below). The Museum similarly received a separate donation of written records from the late Colin Smith (1927-1997).
The data presented here are transcriptions of written records kept by several amateur collectors in the UK across the last 82 years: Gerald Maurice Haggett, Reverend Cyril Alfred Drummond Ash (1856-1949), and Colin Smith. Records were extracted, species names updated using the NHM Species Dictionary, and separated by life stage, sampling method, location, and observer. Please note to protect the locations of some ..., , # Local entomologists shine a light on moth communities: The value of amateur records in cataloguing long-term change

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.hhmgqnkth](10.5061/dryad.hhmgqnkth)

## Description of the data and file structure

The data presented here presents two new collections recently donated to the University Museum of Zoology (Cambridge) (UMZC). These collections come largely from two sources: Gerald Maurice Haggett (1927-2019) and Colin Smith (1927-1997). They are composed of written records (largely in the forms of diaries and field observations) and pinned insect specimens (referred to as biological collections). The focus taxonomic group of both collections are macro-moths, though both include a few records of other taxonomic groups. The written records donated by the Haggett family also include the works of Reverend Cyril Alfred Drummond Ash (1856-1949), and the biological collections also include the collection of Harold Edward (Ted) Hammond (1902-1963). All collections l...,