Ootheca collected today; could it be spent already?

[LadyWillow]

Hi. I found three oothecae in my backyard this fall. I am assuming that they were made by Stagmomantis limbata, as that is the species found in the "wild" around here. When I first saw the oothecae, I decided to keep an eye on them, and see if I could collect a few of the nymphs to raise indoors (as pets). I checked on them today (November 2nd) and it looks like little holes have been drilled into them. When I touched one of the ootheca, it fell off the tree trunk. I have this ootheca inside, I glued it to a stick, and made a habitat for it, in case it is viable.

My question is: could this ootheca already be spent, meaning the eggs/nymphs have already hatched? I have looked carefully in my yard and garden (ignoring neighbors who already find me weird, regardless) and cannot find any nymphs. I am located in the upper reaches of the Chihuahua desert (New Mexico), and we've had several frosts. I am assuming that the oothecae would overwinter here and hatch in spring, and I am hoping this ootheca is viable and will grant me the care of several babies.

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

(P.S. The attached picture is an ootheca from the clothesline, and not the specific ootheca I brought inside. This picture portrays an ootheca that is still outdoors.)

 

[agent A]

the one u pictured looks like iris oratoria and it looks hatched

 

[Rick]

Definitely looks hatched. The small spherical holes in the sides could be from parasitic wasps.

 

[LadyWillow]

Okay. Thanks for the input. I'll keep it for a while, just to be sure. But now I won't blame myself if it doesn't hatch. It seems odd to me that an ootheca laid this summer would hatch this summer.

I will keep an eye out for nymphs outdoors. The Iris oratoria is beautiful!

Thanks again.