Insect egg? | Mantodea ootheca

[D.Lock]

Hello,

I am not sure where to post this photo... Could this be an insect egg? Or maybe from a nematoda?

[Auke]

I'm puzzled by this one too... It is too large for an insect egg, judging by the visible finger. If I had to make a guess, I would say slug or snail egg(s). Did you by any chance collect it to see what it would turn in to?

Cheers, Auke

[D.Lock]

no sorry, didn't collect it. Found another one yesterday. If i find another one ill take it!

[CesarF]

Hello,

I am not sure where to post this photo... Could this be an insect egg? Or maybe from a nematoda?

Hello!
It's an ooteca/egg sack from Liturgusa so. (Mantodea, Liturgusidae)

[Auke]

Hello!
It's an ooteca/egg sack from Liturgusa so. (Mantodea, Liturgusidae)

Welcome at GNF!

Are you sure about that ID? The photos I find online of Liturgusa ootheca look different (not so clearly translucent, and not with roundish cells/bubbles visible from the outside). Could you provide some pics we can compare with?

Auke

[kdjong]

In Europe, there are some Curculionidae of the Hyperini-tribe that make this kind of cocoons for their eggs, or at least comparable. See for example: https://texel.waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/73917026
Of course, it could also be the preying mantis that was mentioned, no idea, but I just thought I'd add my two cents...

Smiles,
Klaas

[Christian]

This is a Liturgusa ootheca. There are two types, smaller, opaque ones which look a bit like a gravy boat, and these ones. In French Guiana, Liturgusa maroni makes such eggcases, but I have not seen those of L. cayennensis yet.

[Auke]

Someone sent me a publication (Rivera & Svenson 2016) in which some photos of ootheca. The "egg" shown above looks quite a bit like the ootheca of a Hicetia sp. (p. 629, fig. 14k). The oothecas of Liturgusa shown in the same publication are less similar in my opinion. At least one species of Hicetia (H. goeldiana) does occur in neighboring French Guiana according to a list of species on Wikipedia. I'm finally convinced this globule is, indeed, the ootheca of a praying mantis.

The ootheca is normally attached to a twig or leaf, and should have a "seam" on the side which is not visible on the photo.

Cheers, Auke

[Christian]

I still have to stress that this is the ootheca of some Liturgusa species from the nubeculosa group, probably L. maroni. I have collected such eggacases myself from that species. Hicetia and Cardioptera oothecae are very similar, though not having that hatching pipe at the end, but a typical elongate hatching zone.

[Auke]

As I now agree that this is, indeed, the ootheca of a praying mantis, I'm also willing to believe that it belongs to Liturgusa maroni or a closely related species as Christian suggests.

Cheers, Auke