ootheca

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See also: oötheca

English[edit]

A cockroach (Periplaneta fuliginosa) in Sydney laying an ootheca.

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

oo- (egg-) +‎ theca (sheath)

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

ootheca (plural oothecae)

  1. An egg case of any of the orthopteroid insects (such as cockroaches and mantids).
    • 1994, Daniel Evan Weiss, The Roaches Have No King, →ISBN, page 4:
      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.

Translations[edit]