ootheca

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.

Oothecae are made up of structural proteins 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). {{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 }}{{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 }} Oothecae are most notably found in the orders Blattodea (Cockroaches) and Mantodea (Praying mantids), as well as in the subfamilies Cassidinae (Coleoptera) and Korinninae (Phasmatodea).{{Cite web | url=https://www.amentsoc.org/insects/glossary/terms/ootheca |title = Ootheca - Entomologists' glossary - Amateur Entomologists' Society (AES)}}

The ootheca protects the eggs from microorganisms, parasitoids, predators, and weather. Its composition and appearance vary depending on species and environment.{{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}}{{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 }}{{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 }}

File:Cockroach egglaying 1.jpg|Female cockroach (Periplaneta americana) with ootheca

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

Mantis ootheca in Marine Park (91115).jpg|Chinese mantis ootheca

File:Mantis ootheca Sliced open (Hierodula patellifera).jpg|Sagittal section of mantis ootheca (Hierodula patellifera) already hatched out

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 blattodea

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)

• Sang piao xiao, mantis oothecae used in traditional Chinese medicine
• Egg cases, also known as egg capsules

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• [http://www.cockroachguy.com/#5 Photo of a madagascar hissing cockroach ootheca]

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Category:Oology

Category:Protostome biology

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