Alkaloid ("Agonopterix alstroemeriana)." This moth feeds on its highly toxic and alkaloid-rich host plant poison hemlock ("Conium maculatum") during its larval stage. "A. asltroemeriana" may benefit twofold from the toxicity of the naturally-occurring alkaloids, both through the unpalatability of the species to predators and through the ability of "A. alstroemeriana" to recognize "Conium maculatum" as the correct location for oviposition. Medical use of alkaloid-containing plants has a long history, and, thus, when the first alkaloids were isolated in the 19th century, they immediately found application in clinical practice. Many alkaloids are still used in medicine, usually in the form of salts,
Mimic poison frog other "Ranitomeya" species, "R. imitator" has a mild toxicity compared to other poison dart frogs. It produces the potent pumiliotoxin B, but its small size limits the amount of poison it can secrete. Like other poison dart frogs, it does not produce toxin in captivity. It probably gains its poison from consuming toxic insects or other invertebrates in the wild. Frogs of the related genus "Phyllobates" may derive their toxins from local melyrid beetles of genus "Choresine". "Ranitomeya imitator" and related frogs exhibit a degree of parental care, with the female laying feeder eggs for the tadpoles to eat. This