To develop a general view of sequester defensive syndromes in Lepidoptera, it is essential to understand the life histories of unpalatable species in this Order. One of the chemical compounds used in these syndromes is based on cyanogenic glycosides, which are chemical compounds found in various edible plants such as almonds, apples, cassava roots, passion fruit, lima beans, etc. These compounds are also found in insects such as the butterflies of the genus Heliconius, as well as moths of the genus Spodoptera, etc. We shall present a model of the Heliconius and Passiflora interaction. The butterflies of the species Heliconius erato synthesize their own cyanogenic glycoside de novo and also sequester cyanogens from host plants. Various life history parameters will be examined and related to the effects of feeding on different types of cyanogenic glycosides.
Species 1: Lepidoptera Nymphalidae Heliconius erato
Keywords: cyanogenic glycosides
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