found: Amateur Entomologists Society glossary, via WWW, Jan. 14, 2021(Silkmoth: Silkmoths are moths whose pupae are surrounded in a silken cocoon. They are represented by members of the Bombycidae and the Saturniidae. Both Families are farmed for their silk; the silk of the former being more highly regarded - both for the quality and quantity of silk produced. The Silkworm moth (Bombyx mori Latr.) being the most frequently exploited member of the Bombycidae. The Saturniid moths, especially within the genera Samia and Antheraea, produce Tussore silk. There are about 1300 species within the Family Saturniidae, although only a small percentage of these produce silk)
found: Britannica online, Jan. 14, 2021(under Silk: In commercial use, silk is almost entirely limited to filaments from the cocoons of domesticated silkworms (caterpillars of several moth species belonging to the genus Bombyx); under Sericulture: Sericulture, the production of raw silk by means of raising caterpillars (larvae), particularly those of the domesticated silkworm (Bombyx mori); The silkworm caterpillar builds its cocoon by producing and surrounding itself with a long, continuous fibre, or filament)
found: New world encyclopedia, via WWW, Jan. 14, 2021(Silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of various species of moths, in particular, Bombyx mori, the domesticated silkmoth, whose silk cocoons can be used in the production of silk. Silkworm species vary in terms of the quality of silk they produce and the leaves they consume. Bombyx mori (Latin: "silkworm of the mulberry tree") of the Bombycidae family feeds solely on the leaves of mulberry trees and produces the finest, most lustrous fiber--the major source of commercial silk. Other silk producers include two giant silkworms in the Saturni[i]dae family, Samia cynthia and Antheraea pernyi. Samia cynthia, the ailanthus silkmoth, feeds on the leaves of the Ailanthus genus and produces a coarse silk, but one that is more durable and cheaper than mulberry silk. Antheraea pernyi, the Chinese tussah moth, is a major producer of another variety of wild silk (tussah silk))
