A pheromone precursor and its uptake in maleDanaus butterflies

Schneider, Dietrich; Boppré, Michael; Schneider, Heidwig; Thompson, William R.; Boriack, C. J.; Petty, Robert L.; Meinwald, Jerrold

doi:10.1007/bf00617545

Cited by 100 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Males in some of these species also derive courtship pheromones from the ingested alkaloid (25,26). In danaine butterflies, for instance, adult males and, to a lesser extent, females visit pyrrolizidine alkaloid-containing plants to imbibe fluids from damaged or senescent parts thereof (26)(27)(28). The pheromone that the males derive from the acquired alkaloid has been shown in one species, the queen butterfly Danaus gilippus, to mediate their acceptance in courtship (29).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biparental defensive endowment of eggs with acquired plant alkaloid in the moth Utetheisa ornatrix.

Dussourd

Ubik

Harvis

et al. 1988

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

210

133

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The eggs of Utetheisa ornatrix contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids. These compounds are contributed by both parents, who sequester them as larvae from their food plants.Females receive alkaloid from the males at mating, apparently by seminal infusion, and transmit this alkaloid together with alkaloid of their own to the eggs. Field and laboratory tests showed that the alkaloids protect eggs from predators. The alkaloidal contribution of the male, although smaller than that of the female, itself provides significant egg protection. A previously identified pheromone, derived by the male from the alkaloid and emitted during precopulatory behavior, may announce the male alkaloidal worth to the female.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biparental defensive endowment of eggs with acquired plant alkaloid in the moth Utetheisa ornatrix.

Dussourd

Ubik

Harvis

et al. 1988

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

210

133

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Males of several species of Lepidoptera, including the butterflies Danaus chrysippus (Schneider et al, 1975), D. gilippus (Dussourd et al, 1989), Idea leuconoe (Nishida et al, 1996), and the moth Utetheisa ornatrix (Conner et al, 1981(Conner et al, , 1990, provide females with a defensive chemical during courtship. Males sequester a pyrrolizidine alkaloid from their host plant as an adult or during the larval stage, some of which is stored in somatic tissue, likely as a form of chemical defense, and some is chemically modified to the male sex pheromone (Schneider et al, 1975;Conner et al, 1981).…”

Section: Diet-mediated Pheromones and Defensive Resourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Males sequester a pyrrolizidine alkaloid from their host plant as an adult or during the larval stage, some of which is stored in somatic tissue, likely as a form of chemical defense, and some is chemically modified to the male sex pheromone (Schneider et al, 1975;Conner et al, 1981). Females typically prefer males that produce large quantities of this pheromone, and males reared without access to the alkaloid are rendered less attractive or unattractive to females.…”

Section: Diet-mediated Pheromones and Defensive Resourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet-Mediated Pheromones and Signature Mixtures Can Enforce Signal Reliability

et al. 2017

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Diet is arguably the most significant environmental factor shaping chemical signals in animals. In rare cases, dietary components are converted directly into pheromones or signature mixtures but more generally variation in an individual's diet influences their overall condition and thus capacity to synthesize the signal. Typically, diet is variable between individuals of the same species and this can lead to variation in signals. This variation presents specific challenges to receivers, who must be able to recognize and respond to a greater range of signals. However, such variation might also provide the receiver with key information about the signaller, allowing them to respond to the signal advantageously. Here we investigate how dietary-mediated pheromones and signature mixtures can provide the receiver with reliable information about the signaller, ultimately benefiting the receiver in a way not achievable by a static signal.

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“…Similar to the American Danaus spp., the Old World milkweed butterfly, Danaus chrysippus (so-called plain tiger, widely distributed from Africa to tropical Asia) is assumed to be "poisonous" with its conspicuous appearance with a black apex and white subapical spots on the forewing in blight tawny-orange background coloration, likely as a typical model for various mimicry species (Smith 1973 larval stage. However, they are known to be poor and inconsistent sequesterers of CGs (Schneider et al 1975;Rothschild et al 1975;Mebs et al 2005). In order to confirm the toxicity of a local population of D. chrysippus in Okinawa, we examined CG contents in their body tissue.…”

Section: Tiger Danaus Mimicry Ringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical Ecology of Poisonous Butterflies: Model or Mimic? A Paradox of Sexual Dimorphisms in Müllerian Mimicry

Nishida

2017

Diversity and Evolution of Butterfly Wing Patterns

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A number of butterfly species are toxic or unpalatable against predators by developing mechanisms either to biosynthesize such noxious elements de novo or to acquire directly from the poisonous host plants for their own defense. Most of these "poisonous butterflies" exhibit aposematically colored wing patterns that are often associated either with Batesian or Müllerian mimicry species to form a "mimicry ring." This review focuses on unpalatable chemical elements potentially operating in three typical mimicry rings: (1) the tiger Danaus mimicry ring, (2) the Idea mimicry ring, and (3) the red-bodied swallowtail mimicry ring, in association with their mimetic wing patterns. Female-limited polymorphisms are a common feature of the Batesian mimicry but not in Müllerian mimicry, because such diversification is unfavorable for the models. I present here some unique cases of sexual dimorphisms within the putative Müllerian mimicry complexes. A Danaus chrysippus-mimicking nymphalid, Argyreus hyperbius, is a typical example of the female-limited dimorphic mimics. However, A. hyperbius were found to be poisonous with toxic cyanogenic glycosides (linamarin and lotaustralin). Likewise, a pipevine swallowtail, Atrophaneura alcinous, which sequesters toxic aristolochic acids, exhibits sexually dimorphic color patterns (male, black; female, smoky brown). A sympatric diurnal zygaenid moth, Histia flabellicornis, is mimetic to A. alcinous males rather than the females and stores cyanogenic glycosides. The moth is regarded as a Müllerian ally that may have stabilized the wing coloration mutually with those of A. alcinous males. On the contrary, a diurnal "swallowtail moth," Epicopeia hainesii, mimics the brighter wing color of A. alcinous females. Possible adaptation mechanisms on these paradoxical mimicry patterns are discussed.

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A pheromone precursor and its uptake in maleDanaus butterflies

Cited by 100 publications

References 18 publications

Biparental defensive endowment of eggs with acquired plant alkaloid in the moth Utetheisa ornatrix.

Biparental defensive endowment of eggs with acquired plant alkaloid in the moth Utetheisa ornatrix.

Diet-Mediated Pheromones and Signature Mixtures Can Enforce Signal Reliability

Chemical Ecology of Poisonous Butterflies: Model or Mimic? A Paradox of Sexual Dimorphisms in Müllerian Mimicry

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