Bombyx mori

Also known as silk moth, silk worm, silkworm, silkmoth, domestic silkmoth, Chinese silkworm, domestic silk moth, domestic silkworm

insect from the moth family

OverviewAI-generated

Bombyx mori is a species of insect in the family Bombycidae, classified within the kingdom Animalia, phylum Arthropoda, and class Insecta. It is a domesticated animal and the source of silk and pat silk. The organism is commonly known as the silkworm, Seidenspinner, Don Hugo, or Gusano de seda. Its taxonomic authority is cited as (Linnaeus, 1758).

The species has a recorded range in New Zealand and hosts Morinda citrifolia. It is utilized in sericulture. The genome of Bombyx mori has been sequenced and is available through specific online assemblies. The organism is referenced by 907 other encyclopedia articles.

Synthesized by Vinony from 34 facts across 5 sources: Wikidata, GBIF, Gbif Occ, iDigBio, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

Bombyx mori

SPECIES

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderLepidoptera
FamilyBombycidae

Observations recorded1,596

Bombyx mori Le Bombyx du mûrier (Bombyx mori) est un lépidoptère domestique originaire du Nord de la Chine, élevé pour produire la soie. Le ver à soie est sa chenille. Le bombyx est inconnu à l'état sauvage; il résulte de la sélection par élevage appelé sériciculture. C'est au stade de chenille que le bombyx produit la précieuse fibre sécrétée en une bave abondante qui, en durcissant, se transforme en un fil unique de soie brute avec lequel la chenille se fabrique un cocon. Ce fil mesure entre 800 et 1 500 m de long. Cette production de soie par des glandes spécialisées, dites séricigènes a été interprétée comme une excrétion de substances toxiques présentes dans l'alimentation.

via GBIF

Museum specimens

Specimen records: 184
With media: 36
Family: Bombycidae
Collections: UCD, MSU, UMNH, RBINS-SCIENTIFIC HERITAGE, GMNH
Recorded in: United States

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Wikidata facts

Subclass of: domesticated animal
Parent taxon: Bombyx
Image: 202103 Silkworm.svg
Has use: sericulture

Show 13 more facts

Commons category: Bombyx mori
taxon name: Bombyx mori
taxon rank: species
Commons gallery: Bombyx mori
described by source: Pauly–Wissowa
taxon common name: guxán de seda
sequenced genome URL: metazoa.ensembl.org/Bombyx_mori
on focus list of Wikimedia project: Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4
short name: B. mori
has host: Morinda citrifolia
Dewey Decimal Classification (works and editions): 595.78
taxon author citation: (Linnaeus, 1758)
taxon range: New Zealand

Sources (4)

via Wikidata · CC0

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Encyclopedic overview

Bombyx mori, commonly known as the domestic silk moth, is a domesticated moth species belonging to the family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of Bombyx mandarina, the wild silk moth. Silkworms are the larvae of silk moths. The silkworm is of particular economic value, being a primary producer of silk. The silkworm's preferred food are the leaves of white mulberry, though they may eat other species of mulberry, and even leaves of other plants. Domestic silk moths are entirely dependent on humans for reproduction, as a result of millennia of selective breeding. Wild silk moths, which are other species of Bombyx, are not as commercially viable in the production of silk.

Sericulture, the practice of breeding silk moths for the production of raw silk, has existed for at least 5,000 years in China, whence it spread to India, Korea, Nepal, Japan, and then the West. The conventional process of sericulture kills the silkworm in the pupal stage. The domestic silk moth was domesticated from the wild silk moth Bombyx mandarina, which has a range from northern India to northern China, Korea, Japan, and the far eastern regions of Russia. The domestic silk moth derives from Chinese rather than Japanese or Korean stock.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Bombyx mori” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.