Mantid Ootheca

Description:

This blue coloured egg case was about 15mm wide and heart-shaped with typical striations running from either side towards the midline. The dried foam seemed bunched up in the middle. Visible underneath were long translucent eggs arranged in a series ( pic#3 - side view). Pic #4 seen from underneath - the side that was stuck to the cloth.

Notes:

This egg case was found stuck to a piece of cloth that had been on the clothes line for about 6 hours - it was a mild 22 deg day. Unfortunately, I had to peel the ootheca off the cloth - I have it placed in a paper bag in a safe place outside. I have never seen an ootheca this shape or colour before. If anyone knows anymore about this, please add your comments - I would love to find out more about this. I assume it is a mantis egg case !! Extract from Wikipedia: The mating season in temperate climates typically begins in autumn. To mate following courtship, the male usually leaps onto the female’s back, and clasps her thorax and wing bases with his forelegs. He then arches his abdomen to deposit and store sperm in a special chamber near the tip of the female’s abdomen. The female then lays between 10 and 400 eggs, depending on the species. Eggs are typically deposited in a frothy mass that is produced by glands in the abdomen. This froth then hardens, creating a protective capsule with a further protective coat, and the egg mass is called an ootheca. Depending on the species these can be attached to a flat surface, wrapped around a plant or even deposited in the ground. Despite the versatility and durability of the eggs, they are often preyed on, especially by several species of parasitic wasps. In a few species, the mother guards the eggs.