English

Etymology

From oo- + theca.

Pronunciation

• /əʊə'θi:kə/

Noun

1. An egg case of any of the orthopteroid insects (such as cockroaches and mantids).

   • 1990: Since the founding of the colony it had been a tradition to unload oothecae – egg sacs – in the cabinets so the younglings would be near the principal food stocks. — Daniel Evan Weiss, The Roaches Have No King

An ootheca (pl. oothecae) is a type of egg mass made by any member of a variety of species (usually insects or mollusks).

The word is a combination of oo-, meaning "egg", from the Greek word oion, and theca, meaning a "cover" or "container", from the Greek theke.

An ootheca usually contains many eggs surrounded by a foam of protein which may then harden into a tough casing for protection. Notable ootheca-making insects are the mantid and cockroach.

External links

• Photo of a madagascar hissing cockroach ootheca
• Photograph of a praying mantis ootheca