Bombyx
Encyclopedia
Bombyx is the genus
of true silkmoths or mulberry silkmoths of the family
Bombycidae
. It traditionally contained two species
as well as one natural hybrid and one human-dependent hybrid.
The caterpillars feed on Moraceae
, especially on mulberries (Morus).
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of true silkmoths or mulberry silkmoths of the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Bombycidae
Bombycidae
Bombycidae is a family of moths. The best-known species is Bombyx mori or silkworm, native to northern China and domesticated for millennia...
. It traditionally contained two species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
as well as one natural hybrid and one human-dependent hybrid.
Species
- Bombyx horsfieldi (Moore, 1860)
- Bombyx huttoniBombyx huttoniBombyx huttoni is a species of Bombycidae in the genus Bombyx. It was described by Westwood in 1847. It is found in Pakistan, India, Vietnam, Nepal, Bhutan and Taiwan....
Westwood, 1847 - Bombyx lemeepauliBombyx lemeepauliBombyx lemeepauli is a species of Bombycidae in the genus Bombyx. It was described by Lemée, in 1950. It is found in Vietnam and China....
Lemée, 1950 - Bombyx mandarinaBombyx mandarinaBombyx mandarina, the Wild Silkmoth, is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of Bombyx mori the Domesticated Silkmoth or "silkworm" . Unlike the domesticated relative which is unable to fly or indeed persist outside human care, the Wild Silkmoth is a fairly ordinary...
, wild silkmoth - Bombyx moriBombyx moriThe silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of the domesticated silkmoth, Bombyx mori . It is an economically important insect, being a primary producer of silk...
, domesticated silkmoth. "Silkworm" is the name usually applied to the caterpillarCaterpillarCaterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s of this species.They have lost the ability to fly. - Bombyx rotundapexBombyx rotundapexBombyx rotundapex is a moth of the Bombycidae family. It is found in Taiwan....
Miyata & Kishida, 1990
Hybrids
- Bombyx HybridBombyx HybridThe Bombyx hybrid is a hybrid between a Bombyx mori female and a male Bombyx mandarina moth. They produce Silkworm larvae like all species of Bombyx. The larvae look a lot like the other variation, they are brown and the first half and gray at the bottom half, but they get larger black spots than...
, a hybrid between B. mori and B. mandarina - Bombyx second HybridBombyx second HybridBombyx second Hybrid is a cross between a male Bombyx mori, and a female Bombyx mandarina. Since male Bombyx Mori cannot fly to the female to mate anymore, they are 100% dependent on humans to reproduce. They produce Silkworms like all species in Bobmyx, except they are brownish at the top and...
, a hybrid between a male B. Mori and a female B. mandarina. It is completely dependent on humans to survive.
The caterpillars feed on Moraceae
Moraceae
Moraceae — often called the mulberry family or fig family — are a family of flowering plants comprising about 40 genera and over 1000 species. Most are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less so in temperate climates...
, especially on mulberries (Morus).