The New Zealand leafroller Cnephasia jactatana Walker is an important pest of kiwifruit. Larvae of this species feed on dead or live plant tissues and damage the surface of the fruit or burrow deep into the flesh. To provide important information for the development of adult monitoring and control methods, we studied circadian rhythms and lifespan activity patterns of C. jactatana. The investigation was carried out at 20 ± 2°C, 75 ± 10% RH and a photoperiod of 16:8 h light:dark. Females needed a significantly longer time to complete their life cycle than males. Most moths emerged during the photophase. On a circadian basis, courtship activity peaked 3 and 6 h into scotophase; mating peaked 4-6 h into scotophase and most ovipositions occurred in the first 2 h of scotophase. In the lifespan of this species, male courtship display started 2 days after emergence and peaked 1 day later; mating and oviposition peaked 3 and 7 days after emergence, respectively. Most females initiated oviposition 1 day after mating.

Porina larvae (Wiseana spp.) are a pest of pasture in New Zealand. Preliminary observations of adult W. copularis in a laboratory wind tunnel revealed that female moths fan their wings during dusk just prior to copulation. Females stopped wing-fanning upon arrival of a male moth. Mating lasted two to three minutes and no multiple mating was observed. Gas chromatography analysis of the air surrounding wingfanning females showed the presence of four volatile compounds. Gas chromatography/electro-antennogram (GC-EAD) studies indicated that male antennae were strongly responsive to one of these compounds. These findings suggest that female moths release a sex pheromone to attract male moths prior to copulation.