Abstract:

In this paper, mating and oviposition behavior of Batocera horsfieldi were investigated by laboratory tests combined with the field observation. The results were as follows: A complete copulation process of B. horsfieldi included encountering pair-bonding, ejaculations, as well as post-copulatory guarding. A complete mating of B. horsfieldi involved three stages, i.e. encountering pair-bonding, ejaculation and post-copulatory guarding. There were many insertions in the whole mating process.The average duration time for single copulation was 17.81 min, including average time of 2.16 min for pair-bonding before ejaculation, average time of 10.28 min for total ejaculation, duration of 23.4 s for single ejaculation and the time of 5.37 min for post-copulatory guarding. B. horsfieldi's field mating behaviours were consistent with that of the laboratory experiments. The times of matings for the female B. horsfieldi were greatly different from the male ones. Moreover, the host plants had a great influence on the gathering and the copulation of B. horsfieldi. A test of influence of 5 species of host plants on the spawn showed that B. horsfieldi took the most food from bark of branches of Betula luminifera and Viburnum awabuki (572.47 mm² and 370.83 mm²) and spawned (2.44 and 1.80) the most with the food, much more than that fed from Populus sp., Juglans regia and Salix matsudana (P<0.05). In a tested for choosing the spawning tempting plants, B. horsfieldi spawned the most on the bottom boards of Populus sp. and Juglans regia. After emergence, B. horsfieldi, raised alone for 8 days, could have their spawning peak between the 10th day and the 14th day.

Key words: Batocera horsfieldi, mating, oviposition, behavior, host plant