What types of silkworms are there, and what is the function of the pointed tip on their tails?
Silkworms are the main source of raw material for silk and hold a very important place in human cultural history and economic life. Silkworms are holometabolous insects, the most common being the mulberry silkworm, also called the domesticated silkworm, an economic insect that usually feeds on mulberry leaves to spin silk and form cocoons, with quite a few varieties. Everyone knows that the appearance of a silkworm is white, and that it has a small pointed tip on its tail, but what exactly is its function?
1. What types of silkworms are there?
1. Mulberry silkworm
The mulberry silkworm is the most common variety, also called the domesticated silkworm, and is mainly distributed in temperate, tropical and subtropical regions. The main sericulture areas in China today include Guangxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Sichuan, Shandong, Guangdong, Chongqing and Anhui. The mulberry silkworm not only likes to eat mulberry leaves, but also likes to eat vegetable leaves, elm leaves, dandelion and lettuce leaves.
2. Castor silkworm
The castor silkworm is a variety that feeds on castor leaves, but castor silkworm cocoons cannot be reeled into silk; they can only be used as raw material for spun silk and for spinning castor spun silk.
3. Tussah silkworm
The tussah silkworm is a variety that feeds on oak leaves, mainly distributed in China, with a small distribution also in countries such as Korea, South Korea, Russia, Ukraine, India and Japan. Tussah silkworm cocoons can be reeled into silk; tussah silk is the raw material for tussah fabric, tussah silkworm pupae can be eaten, and both the pupae and the moth are raw materials for the pharmaceutical, chemical and food industries. The eggs of the tussah silkworm are a good intermediate host for the trichogramma wasp used in biological control.
4. Cassava silkworm
The cassava silkworm is a silkworm variety that feeds on cassava, first successfully bred in Cenxi County, Guangxi, and later also raised in Guangdong, Fujian and other places.
5. Coriaria silkworm
The coriaria silkworm is a silkworm variety that feeds on coriaria leaves, first successfully raised in Hunan Province in places such as the Tu and Miao areas, and later also raised in Sichuan, Guangxi, Gansu and other places.
6. Japanese oak silkworm
The Japanese oak silkworm is a silkworm that feeds on the leaves of plants of the genus Quercus in the family Fagaceae; the silk it produces is green, and the silk fabric made from it is very beautiful in color, retaining a natural green, and is a very high-grade silk textile.
7. Amber silkworm
The amber silkworm, also called the Assam silkworm or muga silkworm, is a silkworm that feeds on the leaves of Phoebe zhennan; its cocoon color is golden yellow, and the imitations made from it are very precious, appearing amber-colored with a luster.
2. What is the function of the pointed tip on a silkworm's tail?
The pointed tip on a silkworm's tail is its degenerated spiracle, and it is also a feature for distinguishing male from female. The tail horn of a female silkworm points upward and has black dots. The tail horn of a male silkworm points upward and has no black dots. The tail horn can also reflect the health condition of the silkworm.
After a silkworm breaks out of its cocoon and becomes a moth, the tail still has a certain function. The tail of the female moth can also release a rather special odor to attract the male moth to mate. After mating, the male moth dies immediately, and the male and female moths each lay several hundred eggs in one night and then slowly die.