Bombyx mori is the scientific name of which organism?
- A.Honeybee
- B.Earthworm
- C.Silkworm
- D.Housefly
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, the silkworm. Bombyx mori is the mulberry silkworm, the insect reared in sericulture, whose larva spins the cocoon from which mulberry silk is reeled, and the word mori refers to the mulberry on whose leaves it feeds. Option A is wrong because the Indian honeybee is Apis cerana indica and the rock bee is Apis dorsata, both of the genus Apis. Option B is wrong because the common Indian earthworm used in laboratories is Pheretima posthuma, an annelid and not an insect. Option D is wrong because the housefly is Musca domestica, a carrier of disease and a standard entry in these lists. Rearing of silkworms is called sericulture, of honeybees apiculture and of fish pisciculture. Candidates should keep in mind that the silk of Bombyx mori is called mulberry silk, and that the other Indian silks, tasar, eri and muga, come from different moths reared in the eastern States.
Read the full article: Scientific Names of Plants and Animals: GK List
Practice Questions
View allThe system of binomial nomenclature was given by which scientist?
- A.Charles Darwin
- B.Carolus Linnaeus
- C.Gregor Mendel
- D.Robert Hooke
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The Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus introduced the two part naming of organisms in Systema Naturae and applied it to the plant kingdom in Species Plantarum, and because he also built the ranked system of classification he is called the father of taxonomy.
Read the full explanation →What is the scientific name of the mango?
- A.Mangifera indica
- B.Musa paradisiaca
- C.Psidium guajava
- D.Carica papaya
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The mango belongs to the genus Mangifera and the species epithet indica marks its Indian origin; it is also the national fruit of India, which is why this name appears in both science and static general knowledge papers.
Read the full explanation →Panthera tigris is the scientific name of which animal?
- A.Lion
- B.Leopard
- C.Tiger
- D.Cheetah
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Panthera tigris is the tiger, the national animal of India, and the Bengal tiger found in the country is its subspecies Panthera tigris tigris, a three part name that illustrates trinomial nomenclature.
Read the full explanation →Oryza sativa is the scientific name of which crop?
- A.Wheat
- B.Rice
- C.Maize
- D.Barley
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Rice is Oryza sativa, a member of the grass family, and the epithet sativa, meaning cultivated or sown, marks it as a crop raised by farmers rather than a wild species.
Read the full explanation →What is the scientific name of the Indian peafowl, the national bird of India?
- A.Pavo cristatus
- B.Columba livia
- C.Passer domesticus
- D.Corvus splendens
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The Indian peafowl, declared the national bird of India, is Pavo cristatus, the epithet cristatus referring to the crest on its head, and it is protected under the Wild Life Protection Act of 1972.
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