An ootheca (pl. ''oothecae'' ) is a type of egg mass made by any member of a variety of species including

mollusks Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...

(such as ''

Turbinella laevigata ''Turbinella laevigata'', common name the Brazilian chank, is a species of very large sea snail with a gill and an operculum, a marine gastropod mollusk in the subfamily Turbinellinae of the family Turbinellidae.Rosenberg, G. (2010). Turbinell ...

''), mantises, and

cockroach Cockroaches (or roaches) are a paraphyletic group of insects belonging to Blattodea, containing all members of the group except termites. About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are well-known ...

es. The word is a Latinized combination of ''oo-'', meaning "egg", from the Greek word ''ōon'' (cf. Latin ''

ovum The egg cell, or ovum (plural ova), is the female reproductive cell, or gamete, in most anisogamous organisms (organisms that reproduce sexually with a larger, female gamete and a smaller, male one). The term is used when the female gamete i ...

''), and ''theca'', meaning a "cover" or "container", from the Greek ''theke''. Ootheke is Greek for

ovary The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. ...

. Oothecae are made up of structural

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, res ...

s and tanning agents that cause the protein to harden around the eggs, providing protection and stability. The production of ootheca convergently evolved across numerous insect species due to a selection for protection from parasites and other forms of predation, as the complex structure of the shell casing provides an evolutionary reproductive advantage (although the fitness and lifespan also depend on other factors such as the temperature of the incubating ootheca). Oothecae are most notably found in the orders

Blattodea Blattodea is an order of insects that contains cockroaches and termites. Formerly, termites were considered a separate order, Isoptera, but genetic and molecular evidence suggests they evolved from within the cockroach lineage, cladistically mak ...

(Cockroaches) and

Mantodea Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They ha ...

(Praying mantids), as well as in the subfamilies

Cassidinae The Cassidinae (tortoise and leaf-mining beetles) are a subfamily of the leaf beetles, or Chrysomelidae. The antennae arise close to each other and some members have the pronotal and elytral edges extended to the side and covering the legs so as ...

(

Coleoptera Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describe ...

) and Korinninae (

Phasmatodea The Phasmatodea (also known as Phasmida, Phasmatoptera or Spectra) are an order of insects whose members are variously known as stick insects, stick-bugs, walking sticks, stick animals, or bug sticks. They are also occasionally referred to as D ...

). The ootheca protects the eggs from

microorganisms A microorganism, or microbe,, ''mikros'', "small") and ''organism'' from the el, ὀργανισμός, ''organismós'', "organism"). It is usually written as a single word but is sometimes hyphenated (''micro-organism''), especially in olde ...

parasitoids In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionary strategies within parasi ...

, predators, and weather; the ootheca maintains a stable water balance through variation in its surface, as it is porous in dry climates to protect against

desiccation Desiccation () is the state of extreme dryness, or the process of extreme drying. A desiccant is a hygroscopic (attracts and holds water) substance that induces or sustains such a state in its local vicinity in a moderately sealed container. ...

, and smooth in wet climates to protect against oversaturation. Its composition and appearance vary depending on species and environment.

Image gallery

File:Cockroach egglaying 1.jpg, Female cockroach (''

Periplaneta americana The american cockroach (''Periplaneta americana'') is the largest species of common cockroach, and often considered a pest. In certain regions of the U.S. it is colloquially known as the waterbug, though it is not a true waterbug since it is not ...

'') with ootheca File:Blatella germanica cdc.jpg, Female cockroach (''

Blatella germanica The German cockroach (''Blattella germanica''), colloquially known as the croton bug, is a species of small cockroach, typically about long. In color it varies from tan to almost black, and it has two dark, roughly parallel, streaks on the prono ...

'') with ootheca File:Mantis ootheca Sliced open (Hierodula patellifera).jpg,

Sagittal The sagittal plane (; also known as the longitudinal plane) is an anatomical plane that divides the body into right and left sections. It is perpendicular to the transverse and coronal planes. The plane may be in the center of the body and divi ...

section of mantis ootheca (''

Hierodula patellifera ''Hierodula patellifera'', common name giant Asian mantis, Asian mantis, Indochina mantis or Harabiro Mantis, is a species of praying mantis belonging to genus ''Hierodula''. Description Males are about 45-65 mm long and females around 65-7 ...

'') already hatched out File:Praying Mantis (Mantis religiosa religiosa) Ootheca 02.jpg, Praying mantis ( Mantis religiosa) Ootheca in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. File:Praying Mantis (Mantis religiosa religiosa) Ootheca 06.jpg, Damaged praying mantis ( Mantis religiosa) ootheca in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. File:Mantodea oothecae-Kadavoor-2016-03-25-001.jpg, Praying mantis ootheca in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South Ca ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

File:Ootheca of a Blattodea.jpg, Ootheca of a

blattodea Blattodea is an order of insects that contains cockroaches and termites. Formerly, termites were considered a separate order, Isoptera, but genetic and molecular evidence suggests they evolved from within the cockroach lineage, cladistically mak ...

References

External links

Photo of a madagascar hissing cockroach ootheca
Oology Protostome biology {{arthropod-anatomy-stub

Image gallery

See also

References

External links