g.gongylodes ootheca

[julian camilo]

i was wondering, does anyone know the use of the foam on g.gongylodes ootheca? its a common thing for people to claim crickets are bad for g.gongylodes because they wont be able to produce foam for the ootheca in later life. however, whenever i see pictures of g.gongylodes ootheca, more often than not it has no foam. im assuming these ootheca hatch ok? because i read somewhere that if the foam falls off when youre spraying it with water, it doesnt matter. ive also read spraying off the foam is encouraged. so is the cricket problem to do with building the hard structure of the ootheca, or the foam? also, what is the function of this foam?

 

[Christian]

Hi.

One theory we currently work with is that the foam prevents fungal growth. At least, when the foam is sprayed off, the oothecae are somewhat more likely to get a fungal infection. It is also possible that the foam protects the ootheca in the wild from parasitic hymenopterans or high temperatures (by isolation or reflection).

Regards,

Christian

 

[julian camilo]

those theories all sound very plausible, especially to do with heat (the bright white colour will reflect better than darker coloured ootheca). this makes sense to me, as do the others. i guess in captivity, only the first of the theories/problems you mentioned (fungus) is a problem, which is why it is said that it is not such a problem to spray it off. thank you for your views.

 

[Sheldon Johnson]

Crickets cause the hard stuff underneath not to form correctly, nothing to do with the foam.

As for the foam, has anyone considerd that it might be a deffence method? For me, the foam is a sever irritant and causes varrious problems; coughing, tightened throat, sneezing, eyes watering etc. This only stops when i wash it off in the shower. This might just be an alergic reaction rather than a deffence method, but it does seem plausable.

 

[julian camilo]

i had you in mind when i was writing this question sheldon as i remember you mentioning that, and thought maybe its not just your allergic reaction, maybe certain other insects or animals find it irritating, so it acts as a deterrant. is it just this species' foam you get this reaction with?

also, i got confused about the foam issue because i read this somewhere:

"There are chemicals in the crickets that react with the gongylus, in a way that prevents them from producing foam around the ootheca. An ootheca with no foam, will nearly always fail to hatch."

so i wasnt sure what to believe, but ok thanks for clearing it up.

 

[Rick]

Mine eat mostly crickets and I don't see any issues with the ootheca. The reason for the foam is probably similar to insulation on your house. It protects the ooth from everything ranging from parasites to extreme temperatures. Sheldon you must be allergic because I never heard of anybody having reactions to the foam.

 

[Christian]

He is not the only one. Two friends of mine are also allergic against the foam.

Christian