• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.65-71
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• 2022

The wild silkmoth Antheraea yamamai Guérin-Méneville, 1861 (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) is an important producer of silk that is superior to the silk produced by traditional domesticated silkworm. In this study, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of An. yamamai collected from Jeju Island, which is the southernmost island approximately 100 km offshore southward from the Korean Peninsula. Determining this sequence will be necessary for tracing the biogeographic history of the species and developing molecular markers for identifying the origin of commercial products. Comparison of the sequence divergence among two available and the current mitogenomes revealed a low but substantial number of substitutions, totaling 23 nucleotides in the whole genome. CytB and ND5 showed the highest variability with five and four variations, respectively, suggesting that these regions will be prior regions to target for subsequent biogeographic and diagnosis study. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on all available sequences of Saturniidae showed that An. yamamai is a sister to the congeneric species An. pernyi, corroborating that Antheraea is a highly supported monophyletic group. The tribe Saturniini was clearly non-monophyletic and interrupted by Attacini and Bunaeini.

• BMB Reports
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.522-529
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• 2006

Silk moths are the best studied silk secreting insects and belong to the families Bombycidae and Saturniidae. The phylogenetic relationship between eleven silk producing insects was analyzed using the complete DNA sequence of the internal transcribed spacer DNA 1 locus. The PCR amplification and sequence analysis showed variation in length ranging from 138 bp (Antheraea polyphemus) to 911 bp (Hyalopora cecropia). Microsatellite sequences were found and was be used to distinguish Saturniidae and Bombycidae members. The nucleotide sequences were aligned manually and used for construction of phylogenetic trees based on Maximum parsimony and Maximum likelihood methods. The topology in both the approaches yielded a similar tree that supports the ancestral position of the Antheraea assama.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Sericultural Science Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.46-46
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• 2002

No Abstract, See Full Text

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.117-125
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• 2010

The tropical tasar silkworms, Antheraea mylitta (D) produce famous silk 'Kosa' in central part of India. Due to outdoor rearing it became susceptible to viral infection including cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (CPV). The common mode of entry of cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus is per os and cause gresserie disease to the larvae. Histopathological studies elucidated the insect CPV virus produces infective polyhedral inclusion bodies (PIBs) in the midgut cell cytoplasm of virus infected fifth instar larvae. The PIBs multiply enormously in the cytoplasm without invading the nucleus. Ultrastructural studies confirmed the pathological effects of CPV on in midgut cell cytoplasm. The multiplication of polyhedral inclusion bodies took place into the vacuoles and form virogenic stromata in the cytoplasm of cells. However, the encapsulations of polyhedral inclusion bodies into the polyhedrin protein occurred and polyhedra were released into the lumen. At the late stage of infection, cells showed the regressed cytoplasmic organelles with large vacuoles and elongated mitochondria. Hence, the horizontal transmission of CPV causing the midgut cells disintegration in the tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta (D) confirmed during infection.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.120-127
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• 2014

The cerebral neurosecretory cells (NSC) constitute four paired groups, medial (MNC), lateral (LNC-I, LNC-II) and posterior (PNC) in the brain of larvae of tasar silkworm Antheraea mylitta (D) Eco-race Bhandara. The MNC is the largest groups of peptidergic neurosecretory cells and are located in the pars intercerebralis region. The transmission electron microscopic (TEM), ultrastructure of the NSC confirmed the presence of mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi bodies, lysosomes and neurosecretory granules. The median neurosecretory cells shows secretory activity and release of secretory products, the neurosecretory granules (NSG) in the axons of NSC as well as the blood sinus.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.93-119
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• 2014

Tropical tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) is a polyphagous silk producing forest silkworm of commercial importance in India. Forest dependent people rear its larvae on different forestry host plants twice or thrice in a year for small household income. Larvae of A. mylitta feeds on many forest tree species, but always show a great degree of selectivity as a function of its behavioural responses to physical structure and chemical features of the host plants. Cocoon crop of A. mylitta is influenced by heterogeneity of tasar food plants and climatic conditions of the habitat. The role of host plants, temperature, humidity, rainfall, photoperiod and climatic variables on the growth and development of insects have clearly been demonstrated. This article entails an in-depth analysis on ecological and nutritional aspects of A. mylitta, which may provide selective information to researcher and forest managers, who are particularly associated with livelihood improvement of the poor people in forested area through location specific forest insect industry.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.52-58
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• 2021

The article presents the results of the content of the chemical and biochemical composition of the pupa of the wild silkworm Saturnia pyri belonging to the family Saturniidae, species of Lepidoptera. The nutritional value of silkworm Saturnia pyri pupae was evaluated, which contained 51% dry matter, 52.50% crude protein, 27.89% fat, 10.50% chitin fibers, 2.5% ash and 27 macro- and microelements and 25 mg alpha tocopherols in 100 g oil. The X-ray fluorescence method was used to determine the content of mineral elements in the pupa of the silkworm Saturnia pyri. It was revealed that the pupa of this type of silkworm contains 25 elements, of which the relative amount of K, Mg, Na, Ca, Al is much higher than other elements.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.67-73
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• 2013

Antheraea mylitta Drury is basically a crossbreeding species, as such it seems to be potentially a good material for the exploitation of heterosis. In the present study F1 hybrid of wild ecorace Laria (L) and semi-domestic Daba (D) was raised and evaluated for various quantitative traits and biochemical parameters during larval stage. Improved fecundity ($+18{\pm}1.8%$ and higher egg hatching rate ($+10.96{\pm}1.3%$) was recorded in the F1hybrid ($L{\times}D$). Biochemical parameters studied in the hemolymph, midgut and fatbody of the larva showed significantly higher (P<0.05) total proteins and carbohydrate concentration besides digestive enzyme activity. Correspondingly SDS-PAGE revealed more number of protein bands in the hemolymph sample of F1s, ranging between 29 kDa to 66 kDa compared to parental lines. The present study demonstrates the positive heterosis effect in the F1 hybrid of Laria ${\times}$ Daba. Biochemical analysis indicates that, there is possibilities of exploitation of hybrids with specific parents targeted for desirable commercial traits (silk yield and fecundity). Moreover, most of these biochemical parameters can be used as markers to analyze the genetic improvement in the tasar silkworms.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.139-146
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• 2012

Botanicals have been regarded as sustainable solution of pest control because of their nominal effect on nontarget pest, biodegradability and other environment friendly properties. However, study on impact of botanicals against beneficial insects is less. In this investigation effort has been made to study the effect of essential oils of Ocimum sanctum, Ocimum gratissimum and Ageratum conyzoides against non-mulberry silkworm Antheraea assama in terms of percent mortality, total haemocyte count (THC) and phenol oxidase (PO) enzyme activity. After application of essential oil of the plants by contact residual film technique, age dependent decrease of percent mortality was recorded. Topical treatment of oil at higher dosages ($1{\mu}lg^{-1}$ and $0.5{\mu}lg^{-1}$) caused 100% mortality of late instar larvae at 24 hour but the lowest dose ($0.25{\mu}lg^{-1}$) did not cause any mortality till 48 hour of treatment. Initial increase of total haemocyte count (THC) was recorded at early hours of treatment (0.25 hour) at all dosages (1, 0.5, $0.25{\mu}lg^{-1}$) after topical treatment. A dose dependent increase was observed in phenol oxidase enzyme activity and this might indicate ability of the essential oils to cause induction of immune response in Antheraea assama larvae.