Cinnabar moth jacobaeae

Aplin, R. T. and Rothschild, M. (1972). Poisonous alkaloids in the body tissues of the garden tiger moth (Arctia caja L.) and the cinnabar moth (Tyria (= Callimorpha) jacobaeae L.) (Lepidoptera). In Toxins of Animal and Plant Origin, eds. A. de Vries and K. Kochva. pp. 579-595. London Gordon and Breach. 

Woodstock, C.M. (1996). Mating attempts between the scarlet tiger moth, Callimorpha dominula L., and the cinnabar moth, Tyria jacobaeae L. (Lepidoptera Arctiidae), involve a common sex pheromone composition. Experientia, 52, 636-638. 

The presence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in arctiid moths that had been reared on Senecio and Crotalaria species has been established by Rothschild et al.4S These alkaloids are stored in the moths, and serve as a deterrent to vertebrate predators and as precursors for insect sex pheromones. A pyrrolizidine alkaloid metabolite from the Cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaea L.), named callimorphine, has been shown to have the structure (49) on the basis of mass-spectral and degradative evidence.46 The structure (49) was confirmed by synthesis of callimorphine and a diastereo-isomer by treatment of 9-chlororetronecine with the sodium salt of ( )-2-acetoxy-2-methylbutanoic acid. 

Senecionine Senecio vulgaris, S.jacobaea, S. spp. Cinnabar moth (Tyria) ... 

The cinnabar moth (Callimorphajacobaea L.) is unacceptable to a wide variety of vertebrate predators. The larvae feed on Senecio vulgaris L. and 8. jacobaea L. and the pupae in general have a higher concentration of total alkaloids than the plants upon which they have been reared. In both pupae and images there was detected a metabolite, Ci5H2505N, which was not present in the plants. Whether or not these alkaloids and the metabolites confer security from predators is not yet certain (179). 

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