Observation on mating behavior of Neomicropteryx nipponensis Issiki (Micropterigidae)

Abstract

Copulating behavior of Neomicropteryx nipponensis Issiki, 1931 was observed for the first time at Mt. Izumikatsuragi in Osaka, Japan. A mating pair of this species was found on the place where the Great scented liverwort, Conocephalum conicum (L.) Dum, the host plant for its larvae, grows naturally. These individuals kept copulating for 22 minutes after we found out. While copulating, neither the male nor the female moved, but we observed another individual approached the pair in copulation, vibrating its wings. In addition, we housed the two mated individuals indoors for a few days and observed the female licking up droplets of water.