The experiment was developed at Estação Experimental de Zootecnia de Galia - Instituto de Zootecnia, SAA-SP, Gália city, São Paulo, Brazil, on 2000. Eight silkworm races of Japanese and Chinese origin were studied (B101, B102, B104, B109, C201, C202, C203, C208) for biological characters ( Total weight-gain for one caterpillar-GP, Percentage of mortality-MO, Number of male-NM, Number of female-NF, Number of egg/laying-OP and Percentage of eclodibility-EC) and for characters of cocoon production (silk gland unitary weight-GS, 30 cocoon shell weight-CS, 30 chrysalis weight-PC, silk net purport -TS, disqualified cocoon-CD, cocoon length-CC and cocoon breadth -LC). It was used a completely randomized design, with four replications/ race. It was not detected variation among races for GP, MO, NF and OP. The B101 race showed a smaller NM and a smaller EC. With regard to cocoon production, the C202 race showed the best result, with good GS (38% of the final weight of the caterpillar), one of highest CS and TS and values next to the average for PC, CD, CC e LC. The C201 race, with regard to cocoon produced, showed the worst results.
biological characters; cocoon; race
