Bombyx Explained

Bombyx is the genus of true silk moths or mulberry silk moths of the family Bombycidae, also known as silkworms, which are the larvae or caterpillars of silk moths. The genus was erected as a subgenus by Carl Linnaeus in his 10th edition of Systema Naturae (1758).

Species

• Bombyx horsfieldi (Moore, 1860)
• Bombyx huttoni Westwood, 1847
• Bombyx incomposita van Eecke, 1929
• Bombyx lemeepauli Lemée, 1950
• Bombyx mandarina (Moore, 1872) – wild silk moth
• Bombyx mori (Linnaeus, 1758) – domestic silk moth
• Bombyx rotundapex Miyata & Kishida, 1990
• Bombyx shini Park and Sohn, 2002

Hybrids

Two instances of semi-natural hybridisation are known within this genus:

• Bombyx hybrid, a hybrid between a male B. mandarina and a female B. mori
• Bombyx second hybrid, a hybrid between a male B. mori and a female B. mandarina

Food

The caterpillars feed on Moraceae, especially on mulberries (Morus species).^[1] Domestic silkworms may be fed artificial mulberry chow.

Notes and References

1. Book: Conservation Status of Sericulture Germplasm Resources in the World - II. Conservation Status of Silkworm (Bombyx mori) Genetic Resources in the World . Conservation status of silkworm genetic resources in India . K. Thangavelu . Kee-Wook Sohn . 2003 . Food and Agriculture Organization.