The fauna of the family Bombycidae sensu lato (Insecta, Lepidoptera, Bombycoidea) from Mainland China, Taiwan and Hainan Islands Author Wang, Xing Author Wang, Min Author Zolotuhin, Vadim V. Author Hirowatari, Toshiya Author Wu, Shipher Author Huang, Guo-Hua text Zootaxa 2015 3989 1 1 138 journal article 10.11646/zootaxa.3989.1.1 6659f502-4940-4db3-aeb3-0bcc1d93932b 1175-5326 238716 9BCFFC47-43D1-47B8-BA56-70A129E6A63F Family Bombycidae Latreille, 1802 Diagnosis. The family is characterized by the dorsal pleated zone of the hindwing, which is the most heavily patterned part of the wing and often somewhat concave. The frenulum is present but very short and rather stout. The diagnostic features of the female genitalia for this family are indistinct. Distribution. The family is recorded from all Old World zoogeographic regions and New World with the subfamily Epiinae , but has its greatest diversity in the Oriental Region. Remarks. The most famous member of the family is the silkworm, Bombyx mori , which has been domesticated for millennia in China . Another well known species is Bombyx mandarina , which is also native to Asia. In the New World, the family Apatelodidae has previously been regarded as Bombycidae ( Minet, 1994 ) , but are now considered distinct, though allied to the Bombycidae , Eupterotidae and Anthelidae ( Zwick, 2008 ; Zwick et al. , 2011 ). In China , the genera of family Bombycidae s. lat. are be divided into three subfamilies based on characters of the wing venation and male genitalia, as well as preimaginal characteristics. The Chinese bombycid fauna is mainly Sino-Himalayan, but with some Indo-Malayan and Eastern Palaearctic elements.