Types of silk moths. Eri silk also known as the endi or errandi silk is a creamy white colored silk. Arctiids consist of a wide variety of moths including tiger moths lichen moths and wasp moths. Uc assistant professor patrick guerras work with silk moths inspired his research into the best masks to address the covid 19 pandemic. For 600 years the silk of these larvae was exclusively reserved for use by members of the royal families of assam in northern india hence the name assam silkmoth.
There are also other types of non mulberry silk which are mostly wild and exploited in africa and asia are anaphe silk fagara silk coan silk mussel silk and spider silk. The cricula silk is made from the silk moth in the genus of cricula. The japanese silk moth has been cultivated in japan for a long time mainly for its super elastic and strong white silk which is extremely rare and expensive in todays times. The silk made from the larvae of the moth has a dull yellow color that is very different from the metallic gold color of the cocoon.
This family is characterized by the presence of sound generating and sound receiving organs in the thorax chest region. They are found in great many colors including bronze chocolate brown brownish grey chromium yellow and khaki. The life cycle of these four types of silk moths are much in common as they lay eggs from which caterpillars hatches. Tasar silk is produced by reeling the cocoons of the tasar silkworm.
Out of the four different silk types the two ie mulberry and eri are manufactured from domesticated silkworms whereas tasar and munga silkworms are wild in nature although attempts are in progress to domesticate them too. Three other commercially important types fall into the category of non mulberry silks namely. There are more than twenty different species of the moth that are found all the way from the philippines to india as well as eastern indonesia. Joseph fuqua iiuc creative.
It is derived from two domesticated species of silkworms known as samia ricini and philosamia ricin. It is an economically important insect being a primary producer of silka silkworms preferred food are white mulberry leaves though they may eat other mulberry species and even the osage. The silk is available in its natural form since it is tough to dye.