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Science 30 October 1992:
Vol. 258. no. 5083, pp. 799 - 801
DOI: 10.1126/science.1439786
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Articles

Science, Vol 258, Issue 5083, 799-801
Copyright © 1992 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

Homobatrachotoxin in the genus Pitohui: chemical defense in birds?

JP Dumbacher, BM Beehler, TF Spande, HM Garraffo, and JW Daly

Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, IL 60637.

Three passerine species in the genus Pitohui, endemic to the New Guinea subregion, contain the steroidal alkaloid homobatrachotoxin, apparently as a chemical defense. Toxin concentrations varied among species but were always highest in the skin and feathers. Homobatrachotoxin is a member of a class of compounds collectively called batrachotoxins that were previously considered to be restricted to neotropical poison-dart frogs of the genus Phyllobates. The occurrence of homobatrachotoxin in pitohuis suggests that birds and frogs independently evolved this class of alkaloids.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Convergent evolution of chemical defense in poison frogs and arthropod prey between Madagascar and the Neotropics.
V. C. Clark, C. J. Raxworthy, V. Rakotomalala, P. Sierwald, and B. L. Fisher (2005)
PNAS 102, 11617-11622
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Melyrid beetles (Choresine): A putative source for the batrachotoxin alkaloids found in poison-dart frogs and toxic passerine birds.
J. P. Dumbacher, A. Wako, S. R. Derrickson, A. Samuelson, T. F. Spande, and J. W. Daly (2004)
PNAS 101, 15857-15860
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Blarina toxin, a mammalian lethal venom from the short-tailed shrew Blarina brevicauda: Isolation and characterization.
M. Kita, Y. Nakamura, Y. Okumura, S. D. Ohdachi, Y. Oba, M. Yoshikuni, H. Kido, and D. Uemura (2004)
PNAS 101, 7542-7547
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Avian chemical defense: Toxic birds not of a feather.
P. J. Weldon (2000)
PNAS 97, 12948-12949
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Avian Epidermal Lipids: Functional Considerations and Relationship to Feathering.
G. K. Menon and J. Menon (2000)
Integr. Comp. Biol. 40, 540-552
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Smitten by quail.
D. Berkowitz (1993)
Science 259, 1238-1239
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From the Cover: Batrachotoxin alkaloids from passerine birds: A second toxic bird genus (Ifrita kowaldi) from New Guinea.
J. P. Dumbacher, T. F. Spande, and J. W. Daly (2000)
PNAS 97, 12970-12975
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)