#domestic silk moths

[heartnosekid]

domestic silk moth (bombyx mori) | source

[antiqueanimals]

Nature's Marvels. Text by Lucy Berman. Illustrations by Roy Coombs. 1971.

Internet Archive

[the-writing-moth]

THIS. THIS IS THE MOTH I LOVE. I CA N GO ON RANTS ABOUT THIS GUY

Domestic silk moth, Bombyx mori, Bombycidae

This species was domesticated around 5,000 years ago in order to harvest the silk from its cocoons for human use. It was domesticated from a wild moth species, Bombyx mandarina, but has lost its pigment and ability to fly over years of selective breeding. It is not found in the wild and relies on humans for reproduction due to its inability to fly. Like the giant silk moths in Saturniidae, adults have reduced mouth parts and do not feed. Each cocoon contains 1,000 to 3,000 feet of silk thread, but it takes 2,000 to 3,000 cocoons to make a pound of silk cloth. Globally, billions of cocoons are produced each year.

Photo 1 by Nikita, 2 by Fernando Cuenca, 3 by Mark Vuaran, 4 by Jenn Forman Orth, 5 by DavidHT, 6 by José Delamano García, and 7 by Biswarup Ganguly

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

silk moth :)

Sure :)

[moths-daily]

Moth Of The Day #94

Domestic Silk Moth

Bombyx mori

From the bombycidae family. They have a wingspan of 30-50 mm. They tend to live in man made habitats where mulberry trees can be found. They can be found from northern India to northern China, Korea, Japan, and the far eastern regions of Russia.

[tapewires]

Part 2 of my bug fables redesigns: Team Mothiva!

[crickets-everywhere]

I have been given a domestic silk moth by a friend

His name is poo

[critter-creature-or-beast]

By CSIRO, CC BY 3.0

[straydogkins]

*ੈ✩ | Stimboard for a domestic silk moth

⋆ ˚ ⋆ ｡ ⋆ | ⋆ ｡ ୨୧ ｡ ⋆ | ⋆ ｡ ⋆ ˚ ⋆

[lycocarpum]

Miquella will never beat the silk moth association for me I'm sorry. I love this kid but every time I think of him I picture this

[heartnosekid]

fluffy white moths for anon!

▫️-🤍-▫️ / 🤍-▫️-🤍 / ▫️-🤍-▫️

[thegleampt3]

my first silk moth has emerged!!!! im so relieved that they survived the heat wave

[cordycepsbian]

toasted marshmallow and grilled salmon

[onenicebugperday]

@aberranteidolon​ submitted: domestic silk moth! originally bought as a silkworm for my leopard gecko but it cocooned too quickly so now I have a little buddy for about a week. his name is peter 2

Ohhhh Peter 2 I love you!! It took me a while to get to this submission so I hope he is alive. If he is.....tell him he’s perfect :’)

[libraryofmoths]

Moth of the Week

Domestic Silk Moth

Bombyx mori

The domestic silk moth is from the family Bombycidae. It is very closely related to the wild silk moth (Bombyx mandarina), which was first described in 1872 by Frederic Moore. The domestic silk moth was created through selective breeding in order to produce more silk and therefore lacks several behaviors of other moths.

Description This species has white hairy bodies, legs, and wings unlike the wild silk moth which is pigmented brown. This loss of color is due to the domesticated moths no longer needing camouflage. Additionally, this species wings form from larval imaginal disks, and although some may be able to hover, due to domestication the B. mori in incapable of prolonged flight as their bodies are too big to carry. This changes their mating behaviors.

Compared to the wild silk moth, the domesticated silk moth has increased cocoon size, body size, growth rate, and quicker digestion.

Wingspan Range: 3 – 5 cm (1.2 – 2.0 in)

Females are about 2 to 3 times the size of males to carry the eggs.

Diet and Habitat Silk moth larva or silkworms prefer to eat white mulberry leaves and other species of mulberries. They are also known to eat the leaves of the osage orange.

As domesticated species, these moths live in man made habitats for silk production.

It’s undomesticated relative the wild silk moth, B. mandarina, ranges from inland China to Korea and Japan.

Mating Since they cannot fly to find mates like the males of other silk moths species, the B. mori is completely dependent on humans for mating.

The eggs laid are put in and hatch in incubators after approximately 14 days.

Predators This species has no predators due to being taken care of by humans. They have also lost their camouflage, seen in the B. mandarina, from domestication.

Fun Fact Many Asian cultures such as Indian, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Thai eat silkworms. They are roasted, boiled, and/or packaged for snack sale. They have also been proposed as food for astronauts on long missions.

(Source: Wikipedia)

[moth-mayh3m]

btw. if you care./j