Abstract
The mating behavior of Lithocolletis ringoniella MATSUMURA was observed in the laboratory in 1969 and 1970. Under natural light conditions the 1st generation (June 14) mated from 4:18 a.m. (after the sunrise) until 6:02 a.m., and the 3rd generation (August 24) mated from 4:41 a.m. (before the sunrise) until 5:47 a.m. Male moths were positively attracted to virgin females which took the calling position suggesting the secretion of a sex pheromone by females. Under artificial light conditions adult moths which were kept in the dark 8 hours or more mated normally when exposed to light intensity of 1lux or more. However, moths exposed to dark periods of 4 hours could not be mated. It was also suggested that the gradual increase of light intensity may be an important factor for the mating of this species. Such a combination of dark and light conditions was more important for the mating of females than males.
