436 
BOMBYX. By Dr. E. Strand. 
mori. 
textor . 
croesi. 
fortunatus . 
arracanen¬ 
sis. 
sinensis. 
meridiona- 
lis . 
mioleuca. 
In the breeding itself the following work is chiefly to be considered. Above all the supply of the fit 
material being best guaranteed and provided by the government from the so-called breeding in cells *). Secondly 
a rational instruction of the persons entrusted with the supervision. Thirdly the feeding with mulberry-leaves 
(not comfrey **), lettuce, dandelion or other substitutes) according to the rules ascertained by the text-books 
for silk-culture in all its details. Fourthly the appropriate care on the approach of the time of pupating bv 
providing rational spinning-gardens. Finally the harvesting and after-treatment of the finished cocoons has 
to be be performed by experts. 
In the countries where the silk-culture is popular, especially in Eastern Asia the punctual observance 
of rational regulations is often fixed by state-laws. Governmental control in junction with advice free of charge 
has nearly everywhere proved to be very beneficial; and where it is absent, the silk-culture is mostly unmana¬ 
geable and has led to epidemics and degenerations that have proved to be rather pernicious. 
1. Genus : Bombyx L. 
This genus has already been dealt with in the palearctic part of this work. Vol. II, p. 189. Above all 
the well-known cosmopolitan species: 
B. mori L. which we therefore need not enter upon at large. The forms croesi, fortunatus, sinensis, 
textor, and arracanensis Moore and Hutt. are domesticated, artificial forms only distinguishable as larvae and 
by the web, but nevertheless they are, just for that reason, systematically quite interesting, and they must not 
be merely buried in the synonymy, plana Wkr. placed hereto 1. c. belongs to Ocinara lida Moore {— moorei Hutt.), 
not to mori. According to Sasaki (in Annot. Zool. Japon. Vol. 2, pars II [1898]) and Conte (in: Essai 
de Class, d. Lep. prod, de Soie, fasc, 7 [1911]) Theophila mandarina Moore would be a race of B. mori 
which, however, appears to me to be at least somewhat doubtful. As mandarina has already been dealt with 
in the palearctic part (Vol. II, p. 190), we need not touch it here. — The larval forms mentioned are said to 
differ as follows: in textor Mr. <b Hutt. the cocoons are only harvested once a year, they are of a pure white, 
much smaller than in mori, at both ends somewhat pointed, outside not hard, smooth, with very densely woven 
silk threads as in mori, but loosely and irregularly woven together, therefore appearing matted or even woolly, 
the larva being much smaller than in mori. but otherwise scarcely different, casting their skin 4 times; croesi 
Mr. <£’ Hutt. thrives best at high temperatures and, in contrast with the two preceding forms, may be harvested 
7 or 8 times a year, the cocoon is of a bright yellow, smaller, though larger than that of fortunatus , loosely 
woven together as in textor-, lar/a about 36 to 49 mm long, silvery whitish or pearl-coloured with two black 
spots on each ring, and it mostly appears as if covered with dew, the horn being short and obtuse, and the 
dark moon-spots being so distinct on the 5th and 8th rings in the two preceding forms are here entirely absent; 
fortunatus Mr. & Hutt. is the smallest of all the forms of mori (length of forewings: 17 mm), it thrives best 
in moderate warmth, the cocoon is small, golden yellow, similar to that of croesi, the adult larva is of a bluish 
leaden grey colouring, like in croesi without moon-spots on the segments 5 and 8, the horn of the penultimate 
segment is short and light, according to Cotes the forewing shows two and the hindwing one indistinct dark 
transverse band being bent convex towards the margin: arracanensis Mr. & Hutt., a local race from Arracan, being 
insufficiently known, has a larger cocoon than the two preceding forms, the silk is particularly strong and good 
and is harvested about 5 times a year, the juvenile larvae are light brownish, the anterior edge of the first seg¬ 
ment whitish, the head black; sinensis Mr. <£• Hutt. has a much smaller larva than textor, the adult larva (after 4 
skinnings) being wax-coloured with a greyish-brown head, the second segment exhibiting a dark transverse 
band on each side ending into a black spot: two dorsal and two lateral rows of small brown hump-spots are 
present, the 5th segment with two dark moon-spots, the 8th with two dark circular spots, the stigmata appear 
as one black white-centred ring each, the cocoon may be white, greenish-white, and yellow. All the 4 forms 
occur in China and India, as arracanensis is said also to have been imported from China, and textor is said to 
have besides a still wider range. Another form: meridionalis Wood-Mason, from Madras, is certainly very much 
like sinensis and is perhaps not always discernible; the cocoon is described to be small, soft, generally very 
smooth (satiny), of a white colour, b'ght sulphur-coloured or very pale green. 
B. mioleuca Meyr. Head, palpi, thorax, abdomen and legs intermixed with dark brown and whitish 
hair and therefore appearing grey. Antennae dark brown with ochreous orange pinnae (in the $ 10, in the 
$ 3 times as long as the diameter of the antenna). Forewing oblong, triangular, posterior margin obliquely 
rounded off, brown, with whitish and dark brown scales; costal margin dark brown in the two dark brown 
*) The copulating imagines are in couples separately preserved in isolating cells, after their death microscopically 
examined for Pebrine-germs, and only if the soundness of the parents has been incontestably ascertained, the laying is released. 
**) As to the disadvantages of the comfrey-culture comp. Settz, Seidenzucht in Deutschland (Silk Culture in Germany)** 
Stuttgart 1918, p. 178 to 185. 
