Animal Profiles
Insects

Silkworm

Bombyx mori

Living

Living individuals or members of this group exist today. This does not mean they are safe from extinction.

The domestic silkworm is the caterpillar of Bombyx mori. Centuries of rearing for silk have made this moth strongly dependent on human care.

Domestic silkworm caterpillars (Bombyx mori) on mulberry foliage.

Domestic silkworm caterpillars (Bombyx mori) on mulberry foliage.

Gorkaazk · CC BY

At a glance

Location
Domestic silkworms are raised in managed conditions rather than assigned an invented wild habitat.
Diet
Herbivore
Food
Mulberry leaves are the principal food of reared caterpillars.

Classification

Common name
Silkworm
Browse group
Insects
Scientific name or taxon
Bombyx mori
Taxon rank
species
Order
Lepidoptera
Family
Bombycidae
Genus
Bombyx
Source classification
Insecta

Taxonomy checked against GBIF. For breeds and hybrids, this describes the listed parent taxon.

Three things to know

  • The silkworm is a caterpillar.
  • It spins a silk cocoon.
  • Reared larvae eat mulberry leaves.

Habitat and range

Domestic silkworms are raised in managed conditions rather than assigned an invented wild habitat. Sericulture has a long association with China and is practised in several countries.

Appearance and adaptations

Pale caterpillars grow through successive molts before spinning a cocoon. A pale winged moth emerges after the pupal stage, completing a marked change in body form.

Diet and behaviour

Mulberry leaves are the principal food of reared caterpillars. Silk spun before pupation forms the cocoon, and the adult moth later emerges to reproduce.

Sources

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