Borocera cajani facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Borocera cajani |
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| Landibe silk being hung out to dry | |
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Borocera signata (Aurivillius, 1927) |
Borocera cajani, also called landibe in the Malagasy language, is a special kind of silk-producing moth. It lives only in Madagascar. This moth is known for making a unique type of wild silk.
People sometimes mix up B. cajani with a similar moth, Borocera madagascariensis. Both are called landibe in Malagasy. However, B. cajani is the one that produces silk in the highland areas of Madagascar. B. madagascariensis lives closer to the coast.
Landibe moths live in the highland tapia forests of inland Madagascar. You can find them in places like Imamo, Itremo massif, Isalo National Park, and the Col des Tapia. They fly all year round within these tapia forests.
B. cajani creates a type of wild silk. The local Malagasy people in the Madagascar highlands have been collecting this silk for hundreds of years. Different communities work on making and weaving the silk. A town called Sahatsiho Ambohimanjaka is a key place for making landibe silk. This wild landibe silk is thicker than the silk from the common silkworm, Bombyx mori.
Contents
Life Cycle of the Landibe Moth
The B. cajani moth usually has two generations in a year. This means it completes its life cycle twice. Sometimes, it might even have three generations. The timing of their life cycle can change depending on the location. For example, in warmer, wetter areas like Imamo, their cycles might be different from cooler places like Itremo.
The first set of eggs is laid from November to January. The second set is laid from March to April. The young moths, called larvae, are active from November to February and again from March to July. The pupae, which are like cocoons, can be found from February to March and from July to November. There are five stages that the larvae go through as they grow. The second generation usually has more pupae than the first. The whole life cycle can take between 102 and 192 days to finish.
Landibe moths eat several different plants. Their favorite food is the Uapaca bojeri, also known as the tapia tree. They also eat plants like Aphloia theiformis, Erica baroniana, and others. Scientists have even managed to raise them on a different tree called voafotsy (Aphloia theaeformis).
Many animals like birds, bats, and reptiles eat B. cajani. They are also attacked by tiny wasps and flies. The moths can also get sick from diseases like Pébrine and Muscardine.
Landibe and People
As Food
The Malagasy people consider B. cajani a special treat. They eat the moth when it is in its pupal stage. They might fry the pupae or mix them with chicken and rice. Only the pupae are eaten, not the larvae. The Malagasy people call the larvae zana-dandy.
As a Resource
Malagasy women regularly collect the cocoons of B. cajani, which they call soherina. They use natural dyes from plants, mud, and charcoal to color the silk. This gives the silk earthy colors. About 10,000 families in Madagascar work in the silk industry.
Because landibe silk is rare, it can be quite expensive. A few meters can sell for 100 to 200 US dollars. In the past, during the time when France ruled Madagascar, French leaders tried to control the landibe silk business. They even set up a research center for it. A French general named Joseph Gallieni thought landibe silk was very important for Madagascar's economy. However, later on, it was thought to be not as good as Bombyx mori silk, which was called landilikely locally.
Landibe silk is used to make special clothes called lamba garments. These lamba are a strong symbol of Malagasy culture, especially for people living outside Madagascar. They wear them to show their heritage. In the past, during the rule of Radama I, landibe silk was even used to make Western-style suits. Today, it can be used to create very fancy, high-end fashion. Some older people believe that only important people or elders should wear this silk. This is because it is connected to traditional practices like Famadihana, which are ceremonies honoring ancestors.
Protecting the Landibe Moth
The B. cajani moth is not currently on the official list of endangered species. However, one local study said that the species was "critically endangered" in its home of tapia woodlands. In 1902, about 100 tons of landibe silk were produced. By 2009, this had dropped to only 43 tons. People used to think this drop was due to spiritual reasons or not performing a special ritual called soron-dandy, which was meant to ensure a good silk harvest.
Today, a big danger to the silkworms is bush fires. These fires are often started by bandits to hide their tracks after stealing. Cutting down trees for firewood also harms the tapia woodlands where the moths live.
Gallery
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Boiling the soherina (pupae)
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The extracted chrysalids
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Manually processing the landibe thread
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Hand weaving of the landibe silk
