Didn't respond earlier as I just got back from a vacation.
The ooth is the bigger than anything I've ever seen. She was a voracious eater in the week or two prior to laying. Not sure if it had anything to do with it, but she'd recently been eating 3-5 June bugs a day. They were flying around my porch light and door screen each night, so I would capture them and she took care of all of them the next morning. Anyhow, I'm still amazed at how big it is. The ooth easily dwarfs her abdomen. It's just under an inch wide...and just around 1 3/4 inches long.
The big question...is it fertile? I'm a bit doubtful. Really bummed about that. I attempted to mate her with a male about 2 weeks prior, but guy didn't seem to know what he was doing. Made several attempts over a few days. Even while she was calling. He'd hop on, but then give up on connecting and sometimes would just slowly climb off her like he wasn't interested, or forgot where he was/what he was doing. It was crazy! I had to save his butt TWICE because he was so casual about his departure/dismount that the female grabbed him as a meal. It was tough getting them separated. In the end, he did end up connecting with her...but it was only for about 15 to 20 minutes. I suspect that wasn't enough time, but I could be wrong. If it is fertile, I can't imagine how big that hatch will be. I'm incubating the ooth now... so I'll keep you guys posted.
oth size ratio. Bet she's just a bit tired now!
