Whose work first described the silkworm moth as a model for insect domestication?

Bombyx mori became one of the most important insects in human history because it was domesticated specifically for silk production. Historians and entomologists documented that centuries of breeding changed the moth so much that it depends on humans and no longer survives well in the wild. Its domestication is a classic example of human-driven selection in insects. The silkworm’s life cycle and genetics have made it a model organism in research as well as industry. Its study links agriculture, trade, and biology across more than two millennia.