Question

Draw a diagram to show the life of silk moth. Explain its different stages of growth.

Accepted Answer

Ova: It is the first stage of a silkworm's life cycle. The female silk moth lays numerous (about $300 to 400$ ) eggs during summer. The warm weather stimulates the eggs to hatch.

Larva: The eggs hatch within $3$ to $5$ days and caterpillars or silkworms emerge. This is the vegetative stage where growth takes place. The moth larvae feeds on large quantities of mulberry leaves. For the next $40$ to $45$ days, the larvae eat and grow. They molt, or shed skin, to accommodate their growing size.

Pupa: The caterpillar stops feeding and is ready to pupate. The second molting occurs inside the cocoon when the larva turns into a brown coloured pupa. This is the transformation stage between the larva and the adult. It takes about 2-3 weeks for the pupa to finally change into an adult moth. This type of change is called metamorphosis.

Imago: The adult stage completes the life cycle of Bombyx mori. It is the reproductive stage where adults mate and females lay eggs.

Shalini Samadhiya Solutions for Exercise 5: Exercises

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