Major Components in the Exocrine Secretion of a Male Butterfly ( <i>Lycorea</i> )

Abstract

Extracts of the extrusible secretion-disseminating organs ("hairpencils") of the male of the danaid butterfly, Lycorea ceres ceres, from Trinidad, contain a pyrrolizidine and two aliphatic esters. An odorous component, present in trace amounts, remains unidentified. Judging from the function of "hairpencils" in a related species, the secretion may play a mediating role in courtship.