Pollen feeding and reproductive biology of heliconius butterflies.
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.
Department of Zoology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712.
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Gilbert