Not only lovers of wildlife know about the existence of silkworms, but also those who cannot live without high-quality fashionable clothes. But few people know that people have long learned how to get the most valuable silk thread with the help of spiders. The article will help to end this injustice and talk about amazing creatures, which are not without reason called golden weavers.
Silkworm spiders do not yet have such industrial significance as mulberries, but today more and more experts from various industries are showing interest in them.
Habitat
The Chinese, who domesticated the silkworm 3000 years before the birth of Christ, were the first to pay attention to the silky web. They tried to weave a cloth from it - and they succeeded. This fabric received the poetic name of "satin of the east sea."
Regardless of the Chinese, they drew attention to the shining threads and the French. In the middle of the XVII century, the country survived the invasion of spiders, which braided with snares all the surrounding fences, trees and even the walls of houses. Local girls made ribbons and lace of golden threads. But very soon, when people learned to weave weightless fabric, such delights became inaccessible to commoners. There is information that even King Louis XIV had stockings made of spider silk, and according to some researchers, Josephine Bogarne holds such gloves in the portrait of Létier.
It was soon discovered that the amazing spider lives not only in China and the Mediterranean coast. A huge colony was found in Madagascar. The valuable spider was brought to America, to many countries of Europe and Asia, and where the climate has sufficient softness, the silk worker perfectly took root. Today it is found in many countries of the world, including Russia.
External features
The color of the silkworm spider from yellow to rich gold, which is why the weaver got its name, and not because of the color. The body is usually dark with light spots on the sides, and the legs are striped.
Note that sexual dimorphism is very pronounced: the female is many times larger and heavier than the male. The dimensions of her body reach an average of 2.5 cm, and if you count along with the leg span, then 12. The male, meanwhile, does not exceed half a centimeter.
Photos of silkworm spiders help to get an idea that these creatures are beautiful in their own way.
Characteristics of a snare
The silkworm spider spins a very intricate web with small cells and a complex pattern. A tenet is characterized by such a feature as stabilimenta - the so-called random letters, that is, the threads, intertwined, are composed in the likeness of printed characters.
The thread is very durable. In the snare not only insects, but even small birds that often die, failing to get out. The golden silkworm, by the way, considers birds as prey and can eat their meat.
Gold color, according to scientists, performs two functions at once. Shimmering in the sun, the threads attract bees, and in shaded areas they become almost invisible against the background of foliage.
Properties of Spider Silk
When the French began to study the possibility of industrial use of silkworm spiders, they conducted a series of experiments. In particular, it was found that it was impossible to develop a colony in France. There were simply not as many insects over the whole country as would be needed to feed the number of weavers needed for the manufactory. Therefore, production remained artisanal, very little silk was produced, and its prices were truly fabulous.
Already in our time, scientists have determined that a thread 0.1 mm thick can withstand up to 80 grams! For comparison: the same silkworm can withstand no more than 15 g.
The strength of the fabric is also unusually high. With the same thickness, it is much stronger than that obtained from mulberry silk, and with the same strength, spider silk is much thinner. And you can take the thread not only from the cocoon or from the web itself, but also directly from the spider. One individual can give up to 4 km of thread per month (a record of an uncoiled mulberry cocoon - 500 m).
Interesting Facts
A selection of interesting facts will help you get a better idea of the silkworm.
- It was found that the golden weavers are panicky afraid of … cockroaches! So far, scientists can not understand the causes of this phenomenon. But at the sight of a cockroach, a spider either runs, throwing a snare and prey, or falls into a stupor.
- The female silkworm can eat partners immediately after mating. Often, males creep up to her for the next session, while she regrets the remains of the former "lover". The phenomenon is not as widespread as, for example, among mantis, but it is characteristic of many populations living in different parts of the world.
- Designers Nicholas Godley and Simon Pearce spent 3 years in Antananarivo (in the capital of Madagascar) to collect the threads, weave the fabric and sew a magnificent gold outfit. According to experts, 1 m 2 of such fabric costs about half a million dollars. The dress is currently an exhibit of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and has no price, that is, it is priceless and is not for sale.
