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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1972 Jun;69(6):1403–1407. doi: 10.1073/pnas.69.6.1403

Pollen Feeding and Reproductive Biology of Heliconius Butterflies

Lawrence E Gilbert 1
PMCID: PMC426712  PMID: 16591992

Abstract

Butterflies of the neotropical Genus Heliconius feed on pollen. This is the first known instance in butterflies of a habit that is well known for other insects. The butterflies remove amino acids and proteins from pollen; this feeding innovation plays a role in the reproductive and population biology of these insects. It is suggested that other animals may use pollen in a similar fashion.

Keywords: fat body, nitrogenous compounds, reproductive strategy

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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