The effects water quality in urban waters of Wuhan on the larval respiratory behavior of Luciola leii Fu and Ballantyne (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) were evaluated in laboratory, and the feasibility of using indexes of the insect respiratory behavior to monitor multi_polluted and mixed waste water were discasse. The results showed that the larval respiratory behavior of L. leii in lighted and dark conditions (simulating daylight and night_time) was influenced by type Ⅲ (Donghu lake), type Ⅳ (Tangxun lake), type Ⅴ (Yezhi lake) and type inferior Ⅴ (Nanhu lake) water qualities, compared with indoor tap water (CK). The larvae had obviously different responses when they were put into type Ⅲ, type Ⅳ, type Ⅴ and type inferior Ⅴ water qualities. Under type inferior Ⅴ water qualities conditions, the time of respiration and respiratory frequency (FR) were higher than those under type Ⅲ, type Ⅳ, and type Ⅴwater qualities, and the subsurface interval duration (SI) was shorter than those under type Ⅲ, type Ⅳ, and type Ⅴwater qualities. It vealed that the respiratory behavior of L. leii in day and night (specifically the time of respiration, FR, and SI) could be used as index of monitoring water quality for multi_polluted and mixed waste water.