Fishes - Home

wings with eye spots. Almost all pupate in silk cocoon. Larvae feed on
forest trees. About 40 species recorded in India, about 4-5 in Maharashtra.
A. selene. Light green, long curved tail to hindwing, transparent
reddish eye spot in each wing. Exp. 130-180 mm. A. atlas. Red brown
wings with pale and black lines, hyaline triangular spots, black border.
Largest moth, exp. 250-300 mm. A. ricini. Domesticated and distributed
all over India for sericulture on castor leaves. Moth greyish brown, white
lines on thorax, eye spot at expanded tip of forewing, white bands and a
semi circular white spot on each wing. Larva white, green, grey etc.
changing colours. Spines on body. Spins fine white cocoons. (See Ayyar
T.V.R.—1932. Mad. Agr. Jour. 20 : 395, 483. Silk-worm rearing as
Cottage Industry). A. paphia, Reddish or yellowish, a band on border, eye
spot on each wing. Exp. 140-190 mm. Larva green, pairs of yellow humps
and white
spots 0n each side. Silk cocoon hard, brownish grey, oval, attached by a
silken peduncle, gives Tusser silk. Larva feeds on Bassia, Dalbergia,
Shorea (See Beeson—1941 P. 695 Eco. Cont. For. Ins.) trifenestrata.
Brown, yellowish or reddish, a dark continuous line from forewing tip to
mid hindwing. White spot on each wing. Exp. 60-90 mm. Larva black
brown, with 6 tubercles, reddish stripe on sides and poisonous spines.
Cocoon of golden silk in a net work. Feeds on forest trees, mango leaves
etc.
Fam. Bombycidae (Silk worms) (रशांचे टो च किडा (Plकडी, नाडत) Medium. No
proboscis. Antennae feathery. Legs hairy, front wing with a wavy border.
About 15 species recorded in India, 2 in Maharashtra.
Bombyx mori fully domesticated. Many races differing in silk
production and habits according to environment, some with one brood in
a year (univotine) others more (Multivoltine). Moths can hardly fly
though fully winged. Larvae feed only on mulberry leaves. Reared on a
large scale. Moth pale cream, wings half spread, 35-40 mm. Whitish hard
eggs laid in bunches. Larva dirty white, clear segments, a horn on last
segment. Length 50 mm. when full grown. Spin yellowish white cocoon
FAUNA 431