Silk Silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm "Bombyx mori" reared in captivity (sericulture). The shimmering appearance of silk is due to the triangular prism-like structure of the silk fibre, which allows silk cloth to refract incoming light at different angles, thus producing different colors. Silk is produced by several insects, like silk worms but generally only
Crustacean larva post-larva is characterised by the use of abdominal appendages (pleopods) for propulsion. The post-larva is usually similar to the adult form, and so many names have been erected for the stage in different groups. William Elford Leach erected the genus "Megalopa" in 1813 for a post-larval crab; a shrimp post-larva is called a "parva"; hermit crab post-larva are called "glaucothoe". In the Branchiopoda, the most basal group of crustaceans, there is no metamorphosis; instead, the animal grows through a series of moults, with each moult adding various numbers of segments to the body, but without any dramatic changes in form.