Effects of furocoumarin and furoquinoline allelochemicals on host plant utilization by Papilionidae
The furocoumarin xanthotoxin and the furoquinoline alkaloid skimmianine, both widespread in rutaceous plants, were fed to butterflies in the family Papilionidae. The representative Papilionini, Papilio polyxenes and Papilio cresphontes, ingested the two allelochemicals without detrimental effect while the representative Troidini, Battus philenor, experienced reduced consumption and survival, and the representative Graphiini, Eurytides marcellus, suffered symptoms of complete toxicity. Since the Troidini are more closely related to the Papilionini than either is to the Graphini, these results demonstrate that metabolic similarities reflect phylogenetic relationships. These results also demonstrate that xanthotoxin and skimmianine are important feeding barriers to non-adapted insects.
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign