Domestic silk moth

Bombyx mori · The domestic silk moth is a moth whose caterpillars, called silkworms, spin silk cocoons; it lives only in human care and does not exist in the wild.

Also called Silkworm, Don Hugo.

Domestic silk moth
Photo: CSIRO, CC BY 3.0
Domestic silk moth
Photo: PicPatrimoineSLH, CC BY 4.0
Domestic silk moth
Photo: Komal et al. (2021), CC BY 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderLepidoptera
FamilyBombycidae
GenusBombyx
SpeciesBombyx mori

Where it lives

Captive only; its wild ancestor lives in China, Korea, Japan and the Russian Far East.

Fun facts

  • A single silkworm cocoon is made of one thread of raw silk that can be 300 to about 900 metres long.
  • Domestic silk moths can't fly, because their bodies are too big and heavy for their small wings.
  • Adult silk moths don't eat at all, because they have reduced mouthparts.
  • Because the moths can't fly, males need human help to find a mate, and the moths have lost their fear of predators.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).