Silkworm butterfly - description, habitat, species. Butterfly - silkworm Where does the silkworm live

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China is an amazing country filled with myths and legends. According to one of the ancient legends, the wife of the mythical Yellow Emperor, taught her people to weave and extract silk from the silkworm. How much you can believe this legend is unknown, but to this day China is breeding this butterfly.

What does it look like

This is a fairly large butterfly with a wingspan of up to 60 mm, which has unique individual characteristics. For example, in the process of evolution and domestication, it lost its ability to feed and acquired.

After emergence, she mates, lays larvae and dies. Its ancestors ate the leaves of the mulberry tree; it was in its crown that they lived, which is why the name of this insect came about.

Lifestyle

It has been noticed that males, when spinning a cocoon from a single silk thread, spend a little more vital resource and time on this. As a result, the male’s cocoon turns out to be 25% heavier than that of the female. The process of creating a silk cocoon is very labor-intensive and troublesome, releasing two strong, but at the same time thin threads from the lower lip, the caterpillar weaves its house for 18-25 days to transform into a butterfly.

An important point In the life of the silkworm, it serves to arrange a place for hammering: thin rods must be installed in it, and it is in them that the silkworm will weave its house. The size of the cocoon reaches 38 mm, it is very dense with closed edges.

Reproduction

The life cycle of an insect is simple and primitive, and over many years of work with it by humans, it has been refined into a mechanism.
After mating, the female spends 2-3 days laying eggs; she produces about 600 eggs per clutch. After the tiny caterpillar appears and correct content, it will grow and develop for about 25 days until it reaches maturity. And only then will preparations begin for transformation into a butterfly.

The pupa becomes a pupa on the 10th day, and only then can silk cocoons be used to produce silk thread.

Economic importance

Today you can go to silkworm breeding factories, see and learn the entire production process, but several centuries ago for the Chinese, everything related to the production of silk from silkworms was a closely guarded secret, the disclosure of which was punishable by death. But there are no secrets that cannot be revealed. The same thing happened in this case. Gradually, cunning traders revealed this secret, and it became the property of many nations. Silk production began to develop in India, Europe, Russia, and Kazakhstan.

Silkworm- hard worker textile industry.

The second country where they began to engage in this profitable business, based on the reproduction of butterfly larvae, was India. Today it occupies a leading position in the production of natural silk.

The silkworm is no longer found in wildlife, and the whole life cycle takes place under human supervision.

Modern developments make it possible to select the silkworm to such an extent that the cocoon itself has the whitest color. Cocoons of gray, green or yellow are not suitable for producing high-quality silk, so breeders do not use them in large-scale production.

People know a lot about the benefits of silk, but few people know the “creator” who gave this miracle to the world. Meet the mulberry caterpillar. For 5,000 years, this small, humble insect has been spinning silk thread.

Silkworms eat the leaves of mulberry (mulberry) trees. Hence the name silkworm.

These are very voracious creatures; they can eat for days without a break. That is why hectares of mulberry trees are specially planted for them.

Like any butterfly, the silkworm goes through four life stages.

Larva.
Caterpillar.
A pupa located in a silk cocoon.
Butterfly.

As soon as the caterpillar's head darkens, the lenching process begins. Usually the insect sheds its skin four times, the body becomes yellow, and the skin becomes dense. So the caterpillar moves on new stage, becomes a pupa, which is located in a silk cocoon. IN natural conditions the butterfly gnaws a hole in the cocoon and squirms out of it. But in sericulture, the process follows a different scenario. Manufacturers do not allow silkworm cocoons to “ripen” until last stage. Within two hours of exposure high temperature (100 degrees), the caterpillar then dies.

Appearance of a wild silkworm

Butterfly with large wings. Domesticated silkworms are not very attractive (the color is white with dirty spots). It is radically different from its “domestic relatives”; it is very beautiful butterfly with bright large wings. Until now, scientists cannot classify this species, where and when it appeared.

In modern sericulture, hybrid individuals are used.

Monovoltine, produces offspring once a year.
Polyvoltine, produces offspring several times a year.

The silkworm cannot live without human care; it is not able to survive in the wild. The silkworm caterpillar is not able to get food on its own, even if it is very hungry; it is the only Butterfly that cannot fly, which means it is not capable of getting food on its own.

Useful properties of silk thread

The productive ability of the silkworm is simply unique; in just a month it is capable of increasing its weight ten thousand times. At the same time, the caterpillar manages to lose “extra pounds” four times within a month.

To feed thirty thousand caterpillars you will need a ton of mulberry leaves, which is enough for the insects to weave five kilograms of silk thread. The usual production rate of five thousand caterpillars yields one kilogram of silk thread.

One silk cocoon gives 90 grams natural fabric. The length of one of the silk cocoon threads can exceed 1 km. Now imagine how much work a silkworm needs to do if, on average, 1,500 cocoons are spent on one silk dress.

Silkworm saliva contains sericin, a substance that protects silk from pests such as moths and mites. The caterpillar secretes matting substances of sheer origin (silk glue) from which it weaves a silk thread. Even though most This substance is lost during the production of silk fabric, but even the little that remains in the silk fibers can protect the fabric from the appearance of dust mites.

Thanks to serecin, silk has hypoallergenic properties. Due to its elasticity and incredible strength, silk thread is used in surgery for suturing. Silk is used in aviation; parachutes and balloon shells are sewn from silk fabric.

Silkworms and cosmetics

Interesting fact. Few people know that a silk cocoon is an invaluable product; it is not destroyed even after all the silk threads have been removed. Empty cocoons are used in cosmetology. They are used to prepare masks and lotions not only in professional circles, but also at home.

Silkworm food for gourmets

Few people know about nutritional properties mulberry caterpillar. This ideal protein product, it is widely used in Asian cuisine. In China, maggots are steamed and grilled, seasoned with a huge amount of spices, and you won’t even understand what is “on the plate.”

In Korea they eat half-baked silkworms To do this, they are lightly fried. This good source protein.

Dried caterpillars are commonly used in Chinese and Tibetan folk medicine. The most interesting thing is what they add to the “medicine” molds. That's how useful the silkworm is.

What good intentions lead to

Few people know that gypsy moth, which is a major pest of the US forestry industry, was spread as a result of a failed experiment. As they say, I wanted the best, but what happened was the following.

Class - Insects

Squad - Lepidoptera

Family - Silkworms

Genus/Species - Bombyx mori

Basic data:

DIMENSIONS

Length: caterpillar - 8.5 cm.

Wingspan: 5 cm.

Wings: 2 pairs.

Oral apparatus: the caterpillar has one pair of jaws, and the adult butterfly has an atrophied oral apparatus.

REPRODUCTION

Number of eggs: 300-500.

Development: from egg to pupa - time depends on temperature; from pupa to butterfly hatching 2-3 weeks.

LIFESTYLE

Habits: The silkworm (see photo) is a domesticated species of insect.

What it eats: mulberry leaves.

Lifespan: An adult silkworm lives 3-5 days, a caterpillar - 4-6 weeks.

RELATED SPECIES

There are about 300 species of silkworms in the world, such as the Chinese oak silkworm and the satin moth.

The ancient Chinese domesticated the silkworm 4.5 thousand years ago. They obtained silk from cocoons woven by silkworm caterpillars to transform into an adult butterfly. The beautifully woven silkworm cocoon is formed by a single silk thread, the length of which can reach one kilometer.

THE SILKWORTH AND MAN

The natural fiber called silk is also produced by many other species of insects, but only the silkworm produces it in sufficient quantities. large quantities and, moreover, it differs high quality Therefore, it is advantageous to breed silkworms in captivity. The ancient Chinese invented a way to unwind fiber and turn it into a strong thread. The first silk products appeared from the cocoons of wild silkworms. However, the Chinese soon began to breed them in artificial conditions and sought to select the largest and heaviest cocoons possible for further breeding. As a result of such attempts, modern silkworms were bred, which are much larger than their own. wild ancestors. True, they cannot fly and are completely dependent on humans.

Silkworm cocoons are softened with hot steam and placed in hot water, and then unwinded in special factories to produce yarn. To make fabrics, threads are always twisted several strands together because they are very thin.

LIFE CYCLE

The silkworm is currently not found in the wild. The ancient Chinese domesticated the silkworm 4.5 thousand years ago. Since all this time a careful selection of individuals was carried out for further breeding in captivity, the modern silkworm is significantly larger than its distant ancestor. In addition, he is unable to fly. The caterpillar reaches its maximum dimensions six weeks after birth. Before the cocoon is formed, it stops feeding, becomes restless, crawls back and forth in search of a convenient place to securely attach itself. Having attached itself to the stem, the caterpillar begins to spin a silk cocoon. Silk fiber is a secretion of paired arachnoid glands, which are located in several longitudinal folds on the caterpillar's body and reach its lower lip. When turning into a pupa, the caterpillar secretes one solid thread up to 1 kilometer long, which it wraps around itself. Silkworm cocoons can be different colors- yellowish, white, bluish, pink or greenish. After the caterpillar transforms into a pupa, the next stage begins - the transformation into an adult butterfly.

WHAT DOES IT EAT?

Caterpillars must eat almost continuously. They feed on mulberry leaves, eating them at an incredible rate.

The caterpillar, born from an egg, has a length of 0.3 cm and weighs 0.0004 g, and after some time its length is up to 8.5 cm and its weight is 3.5 g. Sometimes caterpillars also eat the leaves of other plants . However, observations have shown that caterpillars fed with mixed food grow much slower, and the quality of the silk fiber they produce changes - the thread becomes thicker than that of caterpillars fed only mulberry leaves. The caterpillars grow for up to 6 weeks, then they stop eating and spin a cocoon, inside which they turn into an imago (adult).

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Nowadays, cheap synthetic fabrics have greatly replaced natural silk, and yet products made from it, as before, remain popular.

Even 4 thousand years ago, silkworms were bred in China to produce silk. For a long time now, this moth and its larvae have not been able to exist without human help. Adult insects have completely lost the ability to fly, and caterpillars would rather die of hunger than crawl to look for suitable food. For more than 2 thousand years, China maintained a monopoly on sericulture. Any attempt to remove grena (a clutch of silkworm eggs) was punishable by death. There was an ancient caravan route, which was called “The Great Silk Road”. The fact is that in the countries of Europe and the Middle East, silk fabrics were highly valued. And not only for the beauty of silk clothes. The most important thing is that in such clothes a person was less bothered by lice and fleas! This is why for many centuries the silk trade was the main source of income for the people of China. In 552, the pilgrim monks managed to bring a silkworm to Constantinople. Then Emperor Justinian issued a special order, which ordered him to engage in sericulture in Byzantine Empire. China's monopoly on silk has come to an end. IN Western Europe They began breeding silkworms in 1203-1204, when the Venetians, after the IV Crusade, brought the silkworm to their homeland.

INTERESTING FACTS. DID YOU KNOW THAT...

The annual production volume of raw silk is about 45 thousand tons. The main producers are Japan and China, South Korea, Uzbekistan and India.
According to legend, the silkworm came to Europe thanks to two monks who hid it in reeds.
Legend has it that China lost its monopoly on silk production in 400 AD, when a Chinese princess, who was marrying an Indian Raja, secretly took silkworm eggs with her when leaving her country.
Silk made from silkworm threads is called “noble” silk.
Silk yarn is made from the silk of the Chinese oak moth (Chinese oak moth).

LIFE CYCLE OF THE SILKWORTH

Eggs: the female lays up to 500 eggs on a leaf and dies soon after.

Larvae, hatched from eggs, black, covered with hairs. Hatching time depends on temperature.

Caterpillar: During development, the larva molts several times until it becomes white and smooth, without eyelashes.

Cocoon: The caterpillar intensively feeds on leaves for 6 weeks, and then begins to look for a suitable twig. On it she spins a cocoon from silk with which she surrounds herself.

Adult silkworm: the butterfly mates shortly after emerging from the cocoon. The female secretes a special substance with a strong odor, which the male detects. By smell, with the help of special hairs on the enlarged antennae, the male determines the location of the female.

WHERE DOES IT LIVE?

The silkworm is native to Asia. Nowadays, silkworms are raised in Japan and China. There are many farms in India, Turkey, Pakistan, as well as in France and Italy.

PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION

The ancient Chinese domesticated the silkworm 4.5 thousand years ago. Now silkworms are bred on special farms.

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Life of a silkworm

The mulberry caterpillar increases in weight 10 thousand times in 30 days

People know a lot about the benefits of silk, but few people know the “creator” who gave this miracle to the world. Meet the Silkworm. For 5,000 years, this small, humble insect has been spinning silk thread.

Silkworms eat the leaves of mulberry (mulberry) trees. Hence the name silkworm.

These are very voracious creatures; they can eat for days without a break. That is why hectares of mulberry trees are specially planted for them.

Like any butterfly, the silkworm goes through four life stages.

Larva.
Caterpillar.
A pupa located in a silk cocoon.
Butterfly.

Extremely interesting breeding history such an insect as the silkworm.

The technology was developed a long time ago, in Ancient China. The first mention of this production in Chinese chronicles dates back to 2600 BC, and silkworm cocoons found by archaeologists date back to 2000 BC. e. The Chinese elevated silk production to the status of a state secret, and for many centuries it was a clear priority for the country.

The ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius retells the legend of how man first learned about silk thread. Empress Xi-Ling-shi found a cocoon under a mulberry bush and mistook it for some wondrous fruit. But it accidentally fell out of her hands into a cup of tea. Trying to get it, the empress pulled out a silk thread. In gratitude for this accidental discovery, the Chinese elevated Xi-Ling-shi to the rank of deity of the Celestial Empire. At first, only empresses and women from among their entourage were engaged in silk production.

The Chinese knew how to keep their secrets - any attempt to export butterflies, caterpillars or silkworm eggs was punishable by death. But all secrets are revealed someday. This is what happened with silk production. First, a certain selfless Chinese princess in V. BC, having married the king of Little Bukhara, she brought him silkworm eggs as a gift, hiding them in her hair. About 200 years later, in 552, two monks came to the Byzantine emperor Justinian, who offered to deliver silkworm eggs from distant China for a good reward. Justinian agreed. The monks went on a journey and returned the same year, bringing silkworm eggs in their hollow staves. Justinian was fully aware of the importance of his purchase and, by a special decree, ordered the breeding of silkworms in eastern regions empire. However, sericulture soon fell into decline and only after Arab conquests blossomed again in Asia Minor, and later in North Africa, in Spain. Much later, in the 13th century, Italy and countries began to breed such worms and produce silk fabric North Africa, and in the 16th century - Russia.

The “Great Silk Road” - a caravan road that in ancient times connected the West with the East and stretched through the mountains of Central and Central Asia - served the development of geography as a science and trade between ancient countries.

In the 20th century, silk had a serious rival - artificial and then synthetic chemical fibers. Many of them are superior to silk in strength, wrinkle less, and are more resistant to abrasion, but a person feels better in clothes made of natural silk.

Butterfly with big wings

What kind of insect is this - the silkworm?

The silkworm is not found in the wild today and is bred in special factories to produce natural thread. An adult is enough large insect- a light-colored butterfly, reaching 6 cm in length with a wingspan of up to 5-6 cm. By breeding various breeds of this interesting butterfly Breeders from many countries are engaged in this. After all, optimal adaptation to the characteristics of different areas is the basis for profitable production and maximum income. The silkworm cannot live without human care; it is not able to survive in the wild. The silkworm caterpillar is not able to get food on its own, even if it is very hungry; it is the only Butterfly that cannot fly, which means it is not capable of getting food on its own.

Many breeds of silkworm have been bred: monovoltine - they give one generation per year, multivoltine - two, and there are also species that give several broods per year. Despite its size, the silkworm butterfly does not fly, as it has long ago lost this ability. She lives only 12 days and during this time she does not even eat, having an undeveloped oral cavity.

Butterfly and... butterfly again

With the coming mating season silkworm breeders place pairs of butterflies in separate bags. After mating, the female spends 3-4 days laying eggs in the amount of 300-800 pieces per grain, which has an oval shape with significantly varying sizes, which are directly dependent on the breed of the insect. The breeding period of the worm also depends on the species - it could be in the same year, or maybe next year.

Caterpillar- the next stage in the development of silkworm cocoons. The silkworm caterpillar hatches from eggs at a temperature of 23-25 °C. In factory conditions, this occurs in incubators at a certain humidity and temperature. The eggs develop within 8-10 days, then a small brown silkworm larva, up to 3 mm long, pubescent with hairs, emerges from the grain. Small caterpillars are placed in special trays and transferred to a well-ventilated, warm room. These containers are a structure like a bookcase, consisting of several shelves covered with mesh and having a specific purpose - here the caterpillars eat constantly. They feed exclusively on fresh mulberry leaves, and the proverb “appetite comes with eating” is absolutely accurate in determining the gluttony of caterpillars. Their need for food increases geometric progression, already on the second day they eat twice as much food as on the first. A silkworm increases in weight 10 thousand times in 30 days.

Shedding. By the fifth day of life, the larva stops, freezes and begins to wait for its first molt. When the color of the caterpillar's head darkens, it means that molting has begun. She sleeps for about a day, wrapping her legs around a leaf, then, when suddenly straightened, the skin bursts, freeing the caterpillar and giving it the opportunity to rest and resume satisfying its hunger. For the next four days, she eats leaves with an enviable appetite, until the next molt comes.

Caterpillar transformations During the entire period of development (about a month), the caterpillar molts four times. The last moult turns it into a fairly large individual of a magnificent light pearl shade: the body length reaches 8 cm, the width is up to 1 cm, and the weight is 3-5 g with thick skin. The body is distinguished by a large head with two pairs of well-developed jaws, especially the upper ones, called “mandibles.” But the most important quality that is important for the production of silk is the presence in an adult caterpillar of a tubercle under the lip, from which a special substance oozes, which hardens when it comes into contact with air and turns into a silk thread.

Formation of silk thread. This tubercle ends with two silk-secreting glands, which are long tubes with a middle part transformed in the caterpillar’s body into a kind of reservoir that accumulates an adhesive substance, which subsequently forms a silk thread. If necessary, the caterpillar releases a stream of liquid through a hole under the lower lip, which solidifies and turns into a thin but quite strong thread. The latter plays a big role in the life of an insect and is used, as a rule, as a safety rope, since at the slightest danger it hangs on it like a spider, without fear of falling. In an adult caterpillar, silk-secreting glands occupy 2/5 of the total body weight.

Stages of cocoon construction. Having reached adulthood after the 4th moult, the caterpillar begins to lose appetite and gradually stops eating. By this time, the silk-secreting glands are filled with liquid so that a long thread constantly trails behind the larva. This means the caterpillar is ready to pupate. She begins to look for a suitable place and finds it on the cocoon rods, timely placed by the silkworm breeders along the side walls of the aft “shelves”.

Having settled on the twig, the caterpillar begins to work intensively: it alternately turns its head, applying the tubercle with the hole for the silk gland to different places on the cocoon, thereby forming a very strong network of silk thread. It turns out to be a kind of frame for future construction. Next, the caterpillar crawls to the center of its frame, holding itself in the air by threads, and begins to spin the cocoon itself.

Cocoon and pupation. Silkworm caterpillars use a continuous silk thread, the length of which is 300-900 meters, to curl their cocoons; there were also large cocoons that were “wound” from 1500 meters of thread. When building a cocoon, the caterpillar turns its head very quickly, releasing up to 3 cm of thread for each turn. Its length to create the entire cocoon is from 0.8 to 1.5 km, and the time spent on it takes four or more days. Having finished its work, the caterpillar falls asleep in a cocoon, turning into a pupa. The weight of the cocoon together with the pupa does not exceed 3-4 g. Silkworm cocoons come in a wide variety of sizes (from 1 to 6 cm), shape (round, oval, with bars) and color (from snow-white to golden and purple). Experts have noticed that male silkworms are more diligent in weaving cocoons. Their pupal homes differ in the density of the thread wound and its length.

And again the butterfly. After three weeks, a butterfly emerges from the pupa and needs to get out of the cocoon. This is difficult, since it is completely devoid of the jaws that adorn the caterpillar. But wise nature solved this problem: the butterfly is equipped with a special gland that produces alkaline saliva, the use of which softens the wall of the cocoon and promotes the release of the newly formed butterfly. This is how the silkworm completes the circle of its own transformations.

However, industrial breeding of silkworms interrupts the reproduction of butterflies. The bulk of cocoons are used to obtain raw silk. After all, this is already a finished product; all that remains is to unwind the cocoons on special machines, having first killed the pupae and treated the cocoons with steam and high-temperature water (100 degrees), and the cocoon unwinds very easily after that. So, the silkworm, the breeding of which on an industrial scale will probably never lose its relevance, is an excellent example of a domesticated insect that brings in quite a lot of income.

Useful properties of silk thread

Thanks to serecin, silk has hypoallergenic properties. Due to its elasticity and incredible strength, silk thread is used in surgery for suturing. Silk is used in aviation; parachutes and balloon shells are sewn from silk fabric.

Silkworms and cosmetics

Silkworm food for gourmets

Few people know about the nutritional properties of the mulberry caterpillar. This ideal protein product, it is widely used in Asian cuisine. In China, maggots are steamed and grilled, seasoned with a huge amount of spices, and you won’t even understand what is “on the plate.”

In Korea, half-raw silkworms are eaten and lightly fried. This is a good source of protein.

Dried caterpillars are commonly used in Chinese and Tibetan folk medicine. The most interesting thing is that mold fungi are added to the “medicine”.

What good intentions lead to

Few people know that the gypsy moth, which is a major pest of the US forestry industry, was spread as a result of a failed experiment. As they say, I wanted the best, but what happened was the following.

At the end of the nineteenth century, one person came up with the idea to bring new look he decided to cross the silkworm and the gypsy moth. To get an insect that is less “picky in food”, but at the same time it must produce silk thread. For this purpose, a batch of gypsy moth cocoons was brought from Europe to America. The experiment ended in complete failure. The scientist was unable to cross these types of silkworms, but the gypsy moth has settled “comfortably” in America and is now causing harm forestry United States of America.

Just the facts

Silk thread is very durable and can withstand great pressure. Silk ropes are more efficient in operation than ropes made of steel of the same thickness.
To produce 1 m of silk fabric you need about 3000 silkworm cocoons.
Almost 80% of the world's silk production belongs to China.

To create enough silk thread to produce fabric for 1 dress, silkworms need to eat about 70 kg of leaves.

1 silkworm caterpillar, from its transformation into a pupa, eats mulberry leaves, the mass of which exceeds its weight by 40 thousand times.

Within 4 weeks from the moment of its birth, 1 silkworm caterpillar increases in size by 25 times, its mass increases by 12 thousand times.

The speed at which the silkworm produces its thread can be 15 m per minute.

The silkworm caterpillar weaves its cocoon in 3 to 4 days.

That's how useful the silkworm is.