User:Gabriellarcollins/sandbox

Currently on the page: 1) what ootheca is  2) root words that make up ootheca ("oo" and "theca")   3) more in-depth description of what ootheca is, states it's a protein that develops into a tough outer casing   4) states how ootheca is formed in female insects

What we could add: We could add more information regarding the purpose of ootheca. This Wikipedia article does little to illuminate what ootheca does for the insects that have it, which would be one of the obvious first questions any reader might have when visiting the page. This Wikipedia also doesn't explain in much depth how the ootheca is formed, so it would be beneficial to add more information on its formation. These pieces of information would assist Wikipedia readers in more fully understanding why ootheca is necessary for these insects and how it is created.

We should also clarify what an ootheca actually is because various sources call (presumably analogous) structures made by spiders, sharks&rays, mollusks, and mantids/cockroaches/termites oothecae. Also if we're going with just those made by the mantis/cockroach/termite clade we should check if its an ancestral trait (it seems like it should be but they also look very different).

Bibliography

Brunet, P. C.J. “The Formation of the Ootheca by Periplaneta Americana.” Journal of Cell Science, 1 June 1951. The Company of Biologists Ltd., jcs.biologists.org/content/s3-92/18/113.

Brunet, P.C. J. “The Formation of the Ootheca by Periplaneta Americana II. The Structure and Function of the Left Colleterial Gland.” Journal of Cell Science, 1 Mar. 1952, pp. 47–69. The Company of Biologists Ltd., jcs.biologists.org/content/joces/s3-93/21/47.full.pdf.

Hörnig M.K., Haug J.T. & Haug C. 2013: New details of Santanmantis axelrodi and the evolution of the mantodean morphotype. Palaeodiversity 6, 157-168.

Matthews-Cascon, Helena, Rocha-Barreira, Cristina de Almeida, Meirelles, Carlos, Bigatti, Gregorio, & Penchaszadeh, Pablo. (2009). Description of the ootheca of Turbinella laevigata (Mollusca, Gastropoda). Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology, 52(2), 359-364. https://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1516-89132009000200013

Pryor, M.G. M., et al. “Protocatechuic Acid, the Substance Responsible for the Hardening of the Cockroach Ootheca.” Biochemical Journal, 30 May 1946, pp. 627–628. U.S. National Library of Medicine, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1270017/pdf/biochemj00955-0010.pdf.

Simpson, Stephen, and Jerome Casas. “5 - Chemistry of Cuticular Sclerotization.” Advances in Insect Physiology, vol. 39, Academic Press, 2010, pp. 1–215.