diff --git a/plotly/tests/test_core/test_figure_messages/test_move_delete_traces.py b/plotly/tests/test_core/test_figure_messages/test_move_delete_traces.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..64ec46cc31
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plotly/tests/test_core/test_figure_messages/test_move_delete_traces.py
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+from unittest import TestCase
+from mock import MagicMock
+import plotly.graph_objs as go
+
+
+class TestMoveDeleteTracesMessages(TestCase):
+    def setUp(self):
+        # Construct initial scatter object
+        self.figure = go.Figure(data=[
+            go.Scatter(y=[3, 2, 1], marker={'color': 'green'}),
+            go.Bar(y=[3, 2, 1, 0, -1], marker={'opacity': 0.5}),
+            go.Sankey(arrangement='snap')
+        ])
+
+        # Mock out the message methods
+        self.figure._send_moveTraces_msg = MagicMock()
+        self.figure._send_deleteTraces_msg = MagicMock()
+
+    def test_move_traces_swap(self):
+
+        # Swap first and last trace
+        traces = self.figure.data
+        self.figure.data = [traces[2], traces[1], traces[0]]
+
+        # Check messages
+        self.figure._send_moveTraces_msg.assert_called_once_with(
+            [0, 1, 2], [2, 1, 0])
+        self.assertFalse(self.figure._send_deleteTraces_msg.called)
+
+    def test_move_traces_cycle(self):
+
+        # Cycle traces forward
+        traces = self.figure.data
+        self.figure.data = [traces[2], traces[0], traces[1]]
+
+        # Check messages
+        self.figure._send_moveTraces_msg.assert_called_once_with(
+            [0, 1, 2], [1, 2, 0])
+        self.assertFalse(self.figure._send_deleteTraces_msg.called)
+
+    def test_delete_single_traces(self):
+        # Delete middle trace
+        traces = self.figure.data
+        self.figure.data = [traces[0], traces[2]]
+
+        # Check messages
+        self.figure._send_deleteTraces_msg.assert_called_once_with([1])
+        self.assertFalse(self.figure._send_moveTraces_msg.called)
+
+    def test_delete_multiple_traces(self):
+        # Delete middle trace
+        traces = self.figure.data
+        self.figure.data = [traces[1]]
+
+        # Check messages
+        self.figure._send_deleteTraces_msg.assert_called_once_with([0, 2])
+        self.assertFalse(self.figure._send_moveTraces_msg.called)
+
+    def test_delete_all_traces(self):
+        # Delete middle trace
+        self.figure.data = []
+
+        # Check messages
+        self.figure._send_deleteTraces_msg.assert_called_once_with([0, 1, 2])
+        self.assertFalse(self.figure._send_moveTraces_msg.called)
+
+    def test_move_and_delete_traces(self):
+        # Delete middle trace
+        traces = self.figure.data
+        self.figure.data = [traces[2], traces[0]]
+
+        # Check messages
+        self.figure._send_deleteTraces_msg.assert_called_once_with([1])
+        self.figure._send_moveTraces_msg.assert_called_once_with(
+            [0, 1], [1, 0])