The ootheca-bearing cockroach Praeblattella indicates primitive external egg retention in the Cretaceous

Two new species of the Mesozoic cockroach genus Praeblattella - P. patrickmuelleri, and P. continuosa - from Cenomanian Kachin amber are described as well as new oothecae ichnospecies Blattootecichnus kzhylzharensis ichnosp. n. from Kyzyl-Zhar, Kazakhstan and Blattootecichnus brevis ichnosp. n. from Kachin amber are described. An overview of the genus Praeblattella is provided. MicroCT analysis of cockroach ootheca from amber has unveiled well-developed embryos. This discovery indicates an external retention of the ootheca by the female prior to rotation. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of the genus across different geographical and temporal contexts.