Lucibufagins are a group of defensive steroids produced by several species of firefly to make them unpalatable to predators such as spiders and birds. Certain species of firefly that do not themselves produce lucibufagins have been observed to eat other species of firefly that do produce the steroid to gain the defensive properties for themselves. There are three related compounds, lucibufagin A, B, and C, all in the bufadienolide structural class.
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