Mineral Compositions in the Feces of Some Silkworms

This study was carried out to investigate the mineral content of the feces of the $5^th$ instar larvae in a few silkworm species such as a parent domestic silkworm (Jam134), a hybrid (Kumok-jam), the Japanese oak silkworm, and the Chinese oak silkworm. The major minerals of all silkworms throughout all $5^th$ instar larval period are K, P, Mg and Ca, and the result is consistent with the previous study of the mineral content in the mulberry leaves. Although the calcium content decreased sharply at $7^th$ day of the $5^th$ instar, the crude protein content significantly increased at the same age in both domestic silkworms, suggesting a direct relationship between feeding behavior of the silkworms at the larval period and mineral/protein contents. However, this trend was not observed in both oak silkworms. In the comparison of the mineral content among silkworm species, two domestic silkworms were significantly higher in the calcium content compared with two oak silkworms, and the hybrid Kumok-jam was further higher significantly than the feces of parental Jam 143. Excluding the calcium content, overall no significant content variation in other minerals was observed among four silkworm species studied in this study.