Cairns birdwing larvae normally feed on native Australian pipevines, chiefly Pararistolochia and native Aristolochia species. Feeding on these plants lets the caterpillars sequester aristolochic acids, which persist into the adult and deter predators. The chemistry of the host is therefore central to the insect's defence.
The introduced South American vine Aristolochia elegans, widely planted as an ornamental and known as Dutchman's pipe, produces enough of the same volatile cues to attract egg-laying females. The larvae hatch and begin to feed, but this vine's particular chemistry is toxic to them and they typically die at an early instar. The plant functions as an ecological trap: attractive, apparently correct, and lethal.
Queensland conservation programmes have responded by encouraging removal of the ornamental vine and replanting of native pipevines in gardens. The species itself is not formally listed as threatened, and quantifying how much the trap reduces regional recruitment has proved difficult, since larval mortality is high on any host.