Larvae protect from cyanide: Sara longwing butterfly

1 of 1 Sara's Longwing (Heliconius sara) / Patty / License

Larvae of sara longwing butterflies avoid harm from cyanogenic leaves by metabolizing cyanogenic glycosides enzymatically, preventing cyanide release.

Biomimicry Taxonomy

	Maintain physical integrity >
	Protect from abiotic factors >
	Chemical toxins

Biomimetic Application Ideas

Processing step that would make cyanogenic crops more useful as a food source

[Collapse all sections] Summary

"A neotropical butterfly, Heliconius sara, can avoid the harmful effects of the cyanogenic leaves of Passiflora auriculata (passion vine), on which its larvae feed exclusively. To our knowledge this is the first example of an insect that is able to metabolize cyanogens and thereby prevent the release of cyanide. The mechanistic details of this pathway might suggest new ways to make cyanogenic crops more useful as a food source…We conclude that a unique enzymatic mechanism exists in H. sara for dealing with cyanogenic glycosides." (Engler et al. 2000:144)

Note: the larvae convert cyanogen into nitrogen.

About the inspiring organism

Heliconius sara
Heliconius sara Fabricius 1793

Some organism data provided by: LepIndex: The Global Lepidoptera Names Index
Organism/taxonomy data provided by:
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist

Bioinspired products and application ideas

Application Ideas: Processing step that would make cyanogenic crops more useful as a food source.

Industrial Sector(s) interested in this strategy: Food processing

References

Engler, HS; Spencer, KC; Gilbert, LE. 2000. Insect metabolism: preventing cyanide release from leaves. Nature. 406(6792): 144-145.

Larvae protect from cyanide: Sara longwing butterfly

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