Data from: Keeping the band together: evidence for false boundary disruptive coloration in a butterfly

There is a recent surge of evidence supporting disruptive coloration, in
which patterns break up the animal's outline through false edges or
boundaries, increasing survival in animals by reducing predator detection
and/or preventing recognition. Though research has demonstrated that false
edges are successful for reducing predation of prey, research into the
role of internal false boundaries (i.e., stripes and bands) in reducing
predation remains warranted. Many animals, have stripes and bands that may
function disruptively. Here we test the possible disruptive function of
wing band patterning in a butterfly, Anartia fatima, using artificial
paper and plasticine models in Panama. We manipulated the band so that one
model type had the band shifted to the wing margin (non-disruptive
treatment) and another model had a discontinuous band located on the wing
margin (discontinuous edge treatment). We kept the natural wing pattern to
represent the false boundary treatment. Across all treatment groups, we
standardized the area of color and used avian visual models to confirm a
match between manipulated and natural wing colors. False boundary models
had higher survival than either the discontinuous edge model or the
non-disruptive model. There was no survival difference between the
discontinuous edge model and the non-disruptive model. Our results
demonstrate the importance of wing bands in reducing predation on
butterflies and show that markings set in from the wing margin can reduce
predation more effectively than marginal bands and discontinuous marginal
patterns. This study demonstrates an adaptive benefit of having stripes
and bands.