Lecture no.

32
Silkworm origin- classification biology
Origin
Mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori is a domesticated worm which is reared
throughout the world. Its wild ancestor Bombyx manderina occurs wild in foot hills of
Himalayas. From prehistoric days, Indian aborigines used to reel silk fibre from wild
silkworm cocoons. However, there is record of the introduction of mulberry silk culture,
around 140B.C, in India from China, through Khotan.
I. Systematic position:
Phylum

: Arthropoda

Class

: Insecta

Order

: Lepidoptera

Super family

: Bombycoidea

Family

: a. Bombycidae

b. Saturniidae

Super family Bombycoidea:

Maxillary palps and tymphanal organs absent

Frenulum atrophied

Proboscis rarely developed

Antennae pectinate specially in male

II.Kinds of Silkworms:
Silkworm belongs to two important families viz., bombycidae and saturniidae.
The following are the distinguishing characters between the two families.
Sl.No.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Bombycidae
Antennae pectinate
Comparitively small
Eye spot absent
Cocoon small and
continuous filament

III.Voltinism and Moultinism

Saturniidae
Bipectinate
Larger and stout
Present near the center of each wing
yields Cocoon small and yields continuous or
discontinuous filament

Voltinism and Moultinism are constant in a particular silkworm strain controlled

by specific genes and environmental influence. The economics characters viz., cocoon
weight, cocoon shell weight, pupal weight, filament length, filament thickness are
controlled by larval weight which is related to larval period which in turn is decided by
moultinism.
A. Classification
1. Based on voltinism
Based on the number of generations, it is classified as Uni, Bi and multivoltines.
Diapause can be broken artificially in bivoltines but not in univoltines. In case of
univoltines larval period is long and rearing is unsuitable during unfavourable seasons.
Univoltines:
Only one generation per year; Diapauses during eggs; Unsuitable for
rearing in summer and autumn; larval period is long; Cocoons are of superior quality.
Eg. European races.
Bivoltines:
Two generations in a year; White cocoons; Larvae are robust; tolerant to
environmental conditions; Diapause can be artificially broken. Eg. Japanese and Chinese
races
Multivoltines:
More than three generations per year; Golden yellow coloured cocoons; Larvae
can withstand high temperature and humidity; well adapted to tropical conditions;
comparatively the cocoons are of poor quality.
Eg. Indian and Chinese races.

2. Based on moultinism

Based on number of moult during the life cycle, it is classified as tri, tetra and
penta moulters. Most of the commercially exploited races are tetra moulters. Expression
of moulting is controlled by genes. Moulting is governed by two hormones viz., ecdysone
(secreted from corpora cardiaca) and juvenile hormones (secreted from corpora allata).
3. Based on place of origin
Based on origin, B.mori is classified as Chinese, Japanese European and Indian
races. The races can be distinguished on the basis of morphology, economic tracts and
resistance to diseases and environmental conditions.
Biology of silkworm
Bombyx mori is a holometabolous insect and with four stages viz., egg, larva,
pupa and adult.
Morphology of B.mori
EGG:
The silkworm eggs are tiny and weigh around 2000 eggs to a gram. They measure
1.0 to 1.3 mm in length and 0.9 to 1.2 mm in width. They may be ovoid, flat, elliptical or
oval and flat with a micropyle at the anterior pole and slightly off centre.
LARVA:
The larva of B.mori is of the eruciform or polypod type with abdominal prolegs.
The newly hatched larva is called blackworm or black ant. The body of the larva is
divided into three regions head, thorax and abdomen.
1. Head: The head is small, hypognathous (i.e. mouth is ventral in position).It is
formed by the fusion of the Cranium and the first six segments of the body. The head
bears the sense organs and the mouth parts.
2. Thorax: The three segments forming the thorax are the prothorax, mesothorax and
metathorax. The meso and meta thorax project slightly upwards and form the dorsal
hump on the body of the worm. There is a dorsal eye-spot in the meso thorax. Each of
the thorax segment has a pair of true legs.
3. Abdomen: Though only nine segments are visible in the abdomen, it is formed by
eleven segments. The ninth, tenth and eleventh abdominal segments are fused to form the
apparent ninth segment, the caudal plate and the paired caudal prolegs. Apart from the

last segment, paired prolegs are present in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth abdominal
segments.
PUPA:
Obtect pupa, covered by silken cocoon
ADULT:
The moths have lost their flight due to several centuries of domestication. It does
not feed during its short life span of 3-6 days. The size of the moth is 4 x 2 cm.
Head: Small, hypognathous. The paired compound eyes are prominent on the sides of the
head. On the inner side of the eye arise a pair of bipectinate antennae. The coiled
proboscis is non-functional.
Thorax: Has three pairs of legs and two pairs of wings. Forewings overlap Hindwings.
Abdomen: Eight segments are visible in male and 7 segments are visible in female.
There are 6 pairs of spiracles on the abdomen.
Life cycle: Egg : 7 -8 days; Larvae: 20 22 days; Pupa: 10 days; Adult : 7 days
SEXUAL DIMORPHISM IN Bombyx mori:
Sex can be distinguished by district markings in the larval, pupal and adult stages.
Sexual dimorphism in larva:
Female
Male
A pair of sex marks on the ventral side of Has a single median bud at the junction of
the 8th and 9th abdominal segments, called the 8th and 9th segments called Herolds
Ishiwatas fore gland and Ishiwatas hind gland.
gland.
Sex differences in pupa:
Female
Male
Pupa is larger with a broader abdomen
Thinly built with narrow abdomen
A vertical line is present in the center of the Absent
8th abdominal segment on the ventral side
Absent

Small round spot is present on the 9 th

segment

Silk glands
Silk glands are transformed labial glands, ectodermal in origin, cylindrical and
tubular. They are situated on the ventro-lateral sides of the mid intestine and the posterior
ends are blind. Anteriorly, the paired ducts unite and open into the spinneret. Silk glands
may be divided into three distinct regions; anterior, middle and posterior. The anterior

region is a straight tube opening at the fore end into the duct and posteriorly into the
middle region.The middle region is the largest of the three regions and has three definite
flexions.
A pair of glands known as Filippis or Lyonnets glands is situated at the junction
of the two anterior regions. A viscous fluid is secreted by these glands and their exact
function is not clear.
Spinneret is a median projection in the labium through which silk flows. It draws
out silk in the form of fine filament.
The wall of the gland is composed of three layers, the tunica propria, the gland
cells, and the tunica intima enclosing the lumen of the gland. The tunica intima is
renewed at each ecdysis or moult
Fibroin and sericin are secreted in the fourth and fifth ages. Fibroin, the silk
protein, is secreted from the posterior region. The middle region acts as a reservoir for the
maturation of fibroin and also secretes sericin around the fibroin as below. The anterior
region of the silk gland does not secrete any particular substance; it is simply a passage
and carries the silk substance from the reservoir (middle region) for freezing. The threads
of the two sides are called brins and the sericin layer of the two bind them together into
a single filament or bave.
As soon as the liquid silk comes out from the spinneret through its orifice, it is
fixed to the surface of the mountage by sericin. After fixing, the liquid silk in the sole
state is clamped by the thread press of the nozzle and drawn out by the movement of the
head of the silkworm. This process is called Zone drawing. During the spinning process
while cocoon filament is fixed, the spinneret is movable. The spinning process is carried
out by the force of the silkworm itself. The combined force of both drawing and ejection
which acts on the aqueous silk results in the spinning of the thread. The water content of
the silk fibre at the spinneret is about 70%. When the silk fibre comes out of the spinneret
and comes into contact with air, the water evaporates immediately from the fibre and
many pores are formed in the fibre.