ooth disection

[garin33]

Hello everyone,

About 8 months ago, I mated a pair of African mantids (Sphdromantis Lineola). The first ooth was laid about a month later and it hatched about 5 weeks after that. A huge hatch of 350 nymphs. A month after the first ooth was laid, a 2nd was laid and a 3rd about a month after. However, the 2nd and 3rd never hatched. Please note that I never remated the female. Just the one time.

After the first one hatched, the temperature dropped quite a bit in the area and the room temps were about 65 at night and I'm wondering if that is what killed the 2 other ooths or if there is maybe another reason.

Anyway, I was about to dispose of these ooths but I thought that maybe I should open them up and if that would help me determine whether it was actually fertile or not. I have no idea what to look for or if opening it would tell me any information at all.

Any thoughts from the ooth experts here would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Garin

 

[mantid_mike]

I always figure that if it's still gooey and moist, they're fertile (and maybe developing nymphs of course).

 

[garin33]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the input. These ooths are very old now, about 7 months old so I'm sure they are all dried up now. I was wondering if opening them up now would tell me anything. I was just curious if it was something I did wrong or would they never had hatched anyway.

 

[mantid_mike]

Yeah I always use a razor or Olfa knife to make a section cut @ the end of the ooth to see what the deal is.

 

[Paradoxica]

I've only cut open a few ooths, 2 that I knew were infertile Taumantis ooths and 1 fertile ghost ooth that got moldy on the end. The Tau ooths had eggs that were still moist and semi transparent. The fetilized ooth that never hatched due to mold, the eggs were dried up but I could clearly see a black "embryo" inside it.

 

[garin33]

Interesting Paradoxica, I'll see if I see a black embryo inside.

 

[jrh3]

i know that a fertile carolina ooth will look yellowish red almost orange lol. i was removing one off a fence and cut the back off of it by accident i stuck a piece of cloth over the exposed area and a cornmeal paste then glued it to a deli cup. it hatched last week. i was sure i had ruined it but even exposed it hatched.

 

[Rick]

At this point probably not. In any case in that amount of time for such a species the eggs will surely be dried up. It can tell you something but often only when in the "hatching window."

 

[garin33]

Thanks Rick, I was thinking that.

Oh well, I guess I'll never know.

I probably should have remated her.

 

[Danny.]

I just killed a Ghostie oothecae by opening it up.

 

[ScienceGirl]

If you open your ootheca at one end, will it cause the whole ootheca to not hatch?

 

[hibiscusmile]

no, it wont bother the ones not exposed beyond the cut.