Abstract
The hunting and mating behavior of Bittacus mastrillii Navas was studied in the mountainous region of central Japan. Adults emerged from mid-September to mid-October and exhibited positive phototaxy. Both males and females congregated at a particular type of flowering plant to prey on other insects after sunset and continuously mated at the same site. The hunting site was on thistle flowers, Cirsium microspicatum Nakai, in full bloom, where motionless crane flies and moths were hunted easily. Three types of male mating behavior were observed under artificially lighted areas (air temperature was 8–12°C): (1) olfactory calling behavior , where prey-hunting males lure females through pheromone emission; (2) gift-from-passive-feinale behavior , where males copulate with prey-hunting females without providing any resources except sperm; and (3) saliva-secreting behavior , where males copulate forcibly with females while secreting saliva. The foraging specialization of hunting live insects on thistle flowers without unnecessary energy losses makes it possible to subsist at low temperature conditions.
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