Ootheca

{{short description|Type of egg mass made by some molluscs, mantises and cockroaches}} {{For|the egg capsules of cartilagenous fish|Egg capsule}} [[Image:Mantis egg 2005 Spring 001.jpg|thumb|Mantis ootheca]] An '''ootheca''' {{IPAc-en|oʊ|.|ə|ˈ|θ|iː|k|ə}} ({{plural form}}: '''oothecae''' {{IPAc-en|oʊ|.|ə|ˈ|θ|iː|s|iː}}) is a type of egg capsule made by any member of a variety of animal groups such as mollusks, mantises, and cockroaches.<ref name="P. americana">{{cite journal |last1=Brunet |first1=P. C. J. |title=The Formation of the Ootheca by Periplaneta americana : I. The Micro-anatomy and Histology of the posterior part of the Abdomen |journal=Journal of Cell Science |date=1 June 1951 |volume=s3-92 |issue=18 |pages=113–127 |doi=10.1242/jcs.s3-92.18.113 |url=http://jcs.biologists.org/content/s3-92/18/113 |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ql6Jl6wKb88C&q=oothecae&pg=PA230|title=Evolution of the Insects|last1=Grimaldi|first1=David|last2=Engel|first2=Michael S.|date=2005-05-16|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521821490|pages=230|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Turbinella" /> It is also referred to by its shortened nickname, "ooth".

==Etymology== The word is a Latinized combination of ''oo-'', meaning "egg", from the Greek word ''ōon'' (cf. Latin ''ovum''), and ''theca'', meaning a "cover" or "container", from the Greek ''theke''. Ootheke is Greek for ovary.

==Structure== Oothecae are made up of structural proteins and tanning agents{{dn|date=May 2026}} that cause the protein to harden around the eggs, providing protection and stability.<ref name="P. americana"/> 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).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Goldberg |first1=Julia |last2=Bresseel |first2=Joachim |last3=Constant |first3=Jerome |last4=Kneubühler |first4=Bruno |last5=Leubner |first5=Fanny |last6=Michalik |first6=Peter |last7=Bradler |first7=Sven |title=Extreme convergence in egg-laying strategy across insect orders |journal=Scientific Reports |date=16 January 2015 |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=7825 |doi=10.1038/srep07825 |pmid=25592976 |pmc=4648384 |bibcode=2015NatSR...5E7825G }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tee |first1=Hui-Siang |last2=Lee |first2=Chow-Yang |title=Influences of Temperature and Ootheca Age on the Life History of the Cockroach Ootheca Parasitoid Aprostocetus hagenowii (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) |journal=Journal of Economic Entomology |date=27 December 2016 |volume=110 |issue=1 |pages=213–220 |doi=10.1093/jee/tow287 |pmid=28028170 |s2cid=7134811 }}</ref> Oothecae are most notably found in the orders Blattodea (cockroaches) and Mantodea (praying mantises), as well as in the subfamilies Cassidinae (Coleoptera) and Corinninae (Phasmatodea).<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.amentsoc.org/insects/glossary/terms/ootheca |title = Ootheca - Entomologists' glossary - Amateur Entomologists' Society (AES)}}</ref>

==Functions== The ootheca protects the eggs from microorganisms, parasitoids, predators, and exposure. Its composition and appearance vary depending on species and environment.<ref name="Insekten">{{Cite book|title=Insekten : [Autoren dieses Bd.: Kurt Günther ...].|date=1994|publisher=Urania-Verl|others=Günther, Kurt., Petzsch, Hans., Deckert, Kurt., Mauersberger, Gottfried., Crome, Wolfgang.|isbn=3332004980|edition=[Neuausg.], 1. Aufl|location=Leipzig [u.a.]|oclc=61813597}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Keller |first1=Laurent |title=''The Evolution of Social Behavior in Insects and Arachnids''. Jae C. Choe, Bernard J. Crespi |journal=The Quarterly Review of Biology |date=March 1998 |volume=73 |issue=1 |pages=110–111 |doi=10.1086/420149 }}</ref><ref name="Turbinella">{{cite journal |last1=Matthews-Cascon |first1=Helena |last2=Rocha-Barreira |first2=Cristina de Almeida |last3=Meirelles |first3=Carlos |last4=Bigatti |first4=Gregorio |last5=Penchaszadeh |first5=Pablo |title=Description of the ootheca of Turbinella laevigata (Mollusca, Gastropoda) |journal=Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology |date=April 2009 |volume=52 |issue=2 |pages=359–364 |doi=10.1590/S1516-89132009000200013 |doi-access=free |hdl=11336/97453 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

==Image gallery== <gallery mode="packed"> File:Cockroach egglaying 1.jpg|Female cockroach (''Periplaneta americana'') discharging ootheca File:Blatella germanica cdc.jpg|Female cockroach (''Blatella germanica'') discharging ootheca Mantis ootheca in Marine Park (91115).jpg|Chinese mantis (''Tenodera sinensis'') ootheca File:Mantis ootheca Sliced open (Hierodula patellifera).jpg|Sagittal section of hatched-out mantis ootheca (''Hierodula patellifera'') File:Praying Mantis (Mantis religiosa religiosa) Ootheca 02.jpg|Praying mantis (''Mantis religiosa'') ootheca in Ontario, Canada. File:Praying Mantis (Mantis religiosa religiosa) Ootheca 06.jpg|Damaged praying mantis (''Mantis religiosa'') ootheca in Ontario, Canada. File:Mantodea oothecae-Kadavoor-2016-03-25-001.jpg|Praying mantis ootheca in Kerala, India File:Ootheca of a Blattodea.jpg|Ootheca of a blattodean File:Blaptica dubia ootéka.jpg|alt=Blaptica dubia|''Blaptica dubia'' ootheca in an artificial colony Praying mantis (Mantis religiosa) ootheca Cap Bon.jpg|Praying mantis (''Mantis religiosa'') </gallery>

==See also== *Sang piao xiao, mantis oothecae used in traditional Chinese medicine

== References == {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Oothecae}} *[http://www.cockroachguy.com/#5 Photo of a madagascar hissing cockroach ootheca]

Category:Oology Category:Protostome biology