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Species of the month

Domestic Silkworm Moth

Bombyx mori

Some facts on this moth:

Wingspan: 40 to 50 mm.

Cocoon strand length: Average 910 meters.

Diet: Mainly mulberry leaves.

Number of eggs the female lays: 300 to 500.

Adult life span: 2-3 days.

First described: By Linnaeus in 1758, who originally named it Phalaena mori.

Bombyx mori builds its house from silk. This moth is a stocky creamy-white Asiatic insect found almost entirely under human care. The practice of breeding silkworms for the production of raw silk has been underway for at least 5,000 years in China. To obtain the valuable silk intact, the pupa in the cocoon is killed with hot air or steam. In its brief adulthood, the moth does not eat and seldom flies. This insect is one of 350 species in the family Bombycidae (Asian silkworm moths). Other related families include the Saturniidae (giant silk moths), Apatelodidae (American silk moths), Oxytenidae (tropical American silk moths), Carthaeidae (Australian silk moths), and Lemoniidae (autumn silk moths).

(Archived from Template:Species of the week)