Strong bat predation and weak environmental constraints predict longer moth tails

Elaborate traits evolve via intense selective pressure, overpowering ecological constraints. Hindwing tails that thwart bat attack have repeatedly originated in moon moths (Saturniidae), with longer tails having greater anti-predator effect. Here, we take a macroevolutionary approach to evaluate the evolutionary balance between predation pressure and possible limiting environmental factors on tail elongation. To trace the evolution of tail length across time and space, we inferred a time-calibrated phylogeny of the entirely tailed moth group (Actias + Argema) and performed ancestral state reconstruction and biogeographical analyses. We generated metrics of predation via estimates of bat abundance from nearly 200 custom-built species distribution models and environmental metrics via estimates of bioclimatic variables associated with individual moth observations. To access community science data, we developed a novel method for measuring wing lengths from unscaled photos. Integrating thes..., , , # Data for: Stronger bat predation and weaker environmental constraints predict longer moth tails

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## Description of the data and file structure

There are 4 supplementary archives and 2 supplementary datasets:

### Supplementary\_Archive1 : Statistical scripts and data sheets

* Data sheets containing all moths analyzed in this study and their associated trait measurements and lat/long coordinates; Definitions for Rubin_etal_2025_fulldata; variables as follows:
* Picture_ID = picture used for measurements. This corresponds with the names of the pictures that can be found in Supplementary_Archive2
* Species = full scientific name;
* genus = genus;
* spp = specific epithet;
* decimalLatitude, decimalLongitude = lat/long coordinates taken from GBIF or the specimen’s museum data;
* Ant_length = Antenna length in cm (if the photo had a scale bar) or pixels (if the photo did not have a scale bar);
* FW_length = Right forewing length in cm (if the photo had a scale bar) or ...,