''Bombyx'' is the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of true silk moths or mulberry silk moths of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Bombycidae The Bombycidae are a family of moths. The best-known species is '' Bombyx mori'' (Linnaeus) or silkworm, native to northern China and domesticated for millennia. Another well-known species is '' Bombyx mandarina'', also native to Asia. Taxonomy ...

, also known as silkworms, which are the larvae or caterpillars of silk moths. The genus was erected as a subgenus by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, ...

in his 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'' (1758).

Species

* '' Bombyx horsfieldi'' (Moore, 1860) * '' Bombyx huttoni'' Westwood, 1847 * '' Bombyx incomposita'' van Eecke, 1929 * '' Bombyx lemeepauli'' Lemée, 1950 * ''

Bombyx mandarina ''Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth, is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of ''Bombyx mori'', the domesticated silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. Unlike the domesticated r ...

'' (Moore, 1872) – wild silk moth * ''

Bombyx mori The domestic silk moth (''Bombyx mori''), is an insect from the moth family (biology), family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of ''Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is a ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1758) – domestic silk moth * '' Bombyx rotundapex'' Miyata & Kishida, 1990 * '' Bombyx shini'' Park and Sohn, 2002

Hybrids

Two instances of semi-natural hybridisation are known within this genus: * ''Bombyx'' hybrid, a hybrid between a male ''B. mandarina'' and a female ''B. mori'' * ''Bombyx'' second hybrid, a hybrid between a male ''B. mori'' and a female ''B. mandarina''

Food

The

caterpillars Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sy ...

feed on

Moraceae The Moraceae — often called the mulberry family or fig family — are a family of flowering plants comprising about 38 genera and over 1100 species. Most are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less so in temperate climates; however ...

, especially on mulberries ('' Morus'' species). Domestic silkworms may be fed artificial mulberry chow.

References

Bombycidae Moth genera {{Bombycidae-stub