Fingered lizard - Acanthodactylus schreiberi - Ακανθοδάκτυλος - Αμμόσαυρα -Video - Cyprus

White-faced Bush-Cricket - Desticus albifrons (Fabricius, 1775)[1] - Cyprus

See also - Λίστα με τα Ορθόπτερα της Κύπρου - ;LIst of Orthoptera of Cyprus 

Decticus is a genus of bush-cricket in the family Tettigoniidae.
Species of this genus are present in Europe, Cyprus .in Asia and in North Africa.

Video 30/4/2016 by George Konstantinou

Aelurillus cypriotus Azarkina, 2006 - Cyprus Jumping Spider. - Endemic to Cyprus

Endemic to Cyprus                                                                                       Family: Salticidae

Female

Male

Description
Aelurillus are typically about 7 mm long in females, and up to 5 mm in males. They are stout, squat-shaped and rather furry, with females often uniformly mottled sandy brown, while males are often black, sometimes with a pattern and with light, annulated legs.













Habits
Spiders in this genus mainly catch and feed on ants (myrmecophagy).
A Southeast Asian Aelurillus species has been observed to jump around 30-40 times its body length straight onto the back of a large gnaphosid spider and kill it. They like hot, dry, stony places or small bare open areas with dead twigs or similar amongst low vegetation. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos at Troodos 17/4/2016 & Rizokarpaso 29/9/2016, by Michael Hadjiconstantis. 

Many thanks to Christos Zoumides for helping us to find the species. 

Amur falcon - (Falco amurensis) - Ασιατικό μαυροκιρκίνεζο - video - Cyprus (1st record )

See also

Πέντε σπανιότατα πουλιά της Κύπρου (WEB TV) Του Γιώργου Κωνσταντίνου - Εφημερίδα πολίτης 14/1/2018

Ασιατικό Μαυροκιρκίνεζο αρσενικό, Κύπρος (1η αναφορά) - Αγία Βαρβάρα, Πάφος 30/4/2016
Amur Falcon male -  Cyprus (1st record )  ), discovered by Matt Smith  Agia Varvara , Pafos 30/4/2016
Thanks to Matt Smith

This species is the eastern form of western Red-footed Falcon, and VERY rarely found west of Arabia. It breeds in Mongolia, China and Siberia

Kickxia commutata subsp. graeca (Bory & Chaub.) R. Fern. - Cyprus

Kickxia is a genus of plants in the Plantaginaceae. It includes several species of plants known commonly as cancerworts or fluellins. They are mostly native to Europe, but two species, K. elatine and K. spuria are well-known elsewhere as invasive weeds. Genus Kickxia was named after the Belgian botany professor J. J. Kickx.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Agios Epictitos  27/4/2016 by George Konstantinou

Amur falcon - Falco amurensis Radde, 1863 - Ασιατικό μαυροκιρκίνεζο - Cyprus (1st record )

See also

List of Cyprus birds of prey on this blog - Λίστα Αρπαχτικών πουλιών της Κύπρου σε αυτό το ιστολόγιο

Cyprus birds of prey - Αρπαχτικά πουλιά της Κύπρου

Πέντε σπανιότατα πουλιά της Κύπρου (WEB TV) Του Γιώργου Κωνσταντίνου Εφημερίδα πολίτης 14/1/2018

Ασιατικό Μαυροκιρκίνεζο αρσενικό, Κύπρος (1η αναφορά) - Αγία Βαρβάρα, Πάφος 30/4/2016
Amur Falcon male -  Cyprus (1st record )  ), discovered by Matt Smith  Agia Varvara , Pafos 30/4/2016
Thanks to Matt Smith

This species is the eastern form of western Red-footed Falcon, and VERY rarely found west of Arabia. It breeds in Mongolia, China and Siberia

The Amur falcon (Falco amurensis) is a small raptor of the falcon family. It breeds in south-eastern Siberia and Northern China before migrating in large flocks across India and over the Arabian Sea to winter in Southern Africa. It was earlier treated as a subspecies of the red-footed falcon (Falco vespertinus) and known as the eastern red-footed falcon. Males are dark grey with reddish brown thighs and undertail coverts; reddish orange eye-ring, cere, and feet. Females are duller above, with dark scaly markings on white underparts, an orange eye ring, cere, and legs. Only a pale wash of rufous is visible on their thighs and undertail coverts. Their diet consists mainly of insects, such as termites; during migration over the sea, they are thought to feed on migrating dragonflies. The route that they take from Africa back to their breeding grounds is as yet unclear.


Males are characteristically dark sooty grey above with rufous thighs and vent. In flight, the wing lining is white, contrasting with the dark wing feathers. Adult males of the closely related red-footed falcon have a dark grey wing lining. In Africa, males can be confused with melanistic Gabar goshawks, but the chestnut on the vent is distinctive. Also, there may be some superficial resemblance to the sooty falcon and the grey kestrel, but those two species both have yellow feet and cere. The wings are long as in most falcons (with a span of 63–71 cm) and at rest the wing tip reaches or extends just beyond the tail-tip.


Females can be more difficult to identify as they share a pattern common to many falcons, but are distinctive in having an orange eye-ring, a red cere and reddish orange feet. Juveniles can be confused only with those of the red-footed falcon, but lack the buffy underwing coverts.

The Amur falcon was long considered a subspecies or morph of the red-footed falcon, but it is nowadays considered distinct. Nonetheless, it is the red-footed falcon's closest relative; their relationship to other falcons is more enigmatic. They appear morphologically somewhat intermediate between kestrels and hobbies and DNA sequence data has been unable to further resolve this question, mainly due to lack of comprehensive sampling

The Amur falcon breeds in east Asia from the Transbaikalia, Amurland, and northern Mongolian region to parts of North Korea. They migrate in a broad front through India, sometimes further east over Thailand and Cambodia and then over the Arabian Sea, sometimes in passage on the Maldives and other islands to reach southern Africa. Birds going over India are thought to be aided by strong winds blowing westward. These winds are strong at an altitude of about 3000m and the birds are thought to fly at a height of above 1000m during migration. The route taken to return to their breeding grounds is not clear, but they avoid the long ocean crossing and possibly take an overland route northward through Africa and to the west of the Himalayas. Vagrants have been recorded as far west as in Italy, Sweden, St. Helena and the United Kingdom


The Amur falcon feeds mainly late in the evening or early in the morning capturing a wide range of insects in the air or on the ground. They capture most of their prey in flight, sometimes by hovering, but will also pick prey by alighting on the ground.[6] The winter diet appears to be almost entirely made up of insects[8] but they take small birds and amphibians to feed their young in their breeding range. The rains in Africa produce swarms of termites, locusts, ants and beetles that provide ample food. Their migration over the Arabian Sea coincides with the timing of the migration of dragonflies (Pantala flavescens) and these are thought to provide food during the most arduous part of their migration route. Their breeding habitats are in open wooded country with marshes. During migration they stay in open forest or grasslands, roosting colonially on exposed perches or wires.

The breeding season is May to June and several pairs may nest close together. Abandoned nest platforms belonging to birds of prey or corvids and even tree hollows are re-used for nesting. Three or four eggs are laid (at two day intervals). Both parents take turns to incubate and feed the chicks which hatch after about a month. The young birds leave the nest after about a month.


The Amur falcon hosts three species of lice, Degeeriella rufa, Colpocephalum subzerafae, and Laembothrion tinnunculi.

The wide breeding range and large population size of the Amur falcon have led to the species being assessed as being of least concern. The flocking behaviour during migration and the density at which they occur, however, expose them to hunting and other threats. During their migration from their breeding area to the winter quarters, they are plump and are hunted for food in parts of northeastern India as well as in eastern Africa. In 2012, mass trapping and capture of migrating Amur falcons in Nagaland (India) was reported in the media and a successful campaign was begun to prevent their killing. As part of this campaign, three birds were fitted with 5 gm satellite transmitters that allowed them to be tracked during their migration.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos 30/4/2016 by George Konstantinou

Anthaxia (Melanthaxia) mysteriosa Obenberger, 1917 - Cyprus

Family: Buprestidae

Ελληνικά:
Τα ενήλικα άτομα του γένους Anthaxia, τρέφονται κατά την διάρκεια της μέρας με πέταλα ή γύρη λουλουδιών. Τα ενήλικα έχουν επίμηκες σχήμα και συνήθως με έντονα χρωματισμένο κέλυφος με μεταλλικές αντανακλάσεις. Τα ενήλικα αποθέτουν τα αυγά τούς σε νεκρά κλαδιά ή κορμούς ξυλωδών φυτών. Οι προνύμφες τρέφονται με το νεκρό ξύλο. Όταν οι προνύμφες φτάσουν στο τελικό στάδιο ανάπτυξης, μεταμορφώνονται σε νύμφες μέσα στο ξύλο. Όταν ενηλικιωθούν βγαίνουν από το ξύλο αφήνοντας μια μικρή τρύπα (οπή) στην επιφάνεια του κλαδιού.

Τα γνωστά φυτά (δέντρα) ξενιστές του είδους Anthaxia (Melanthaxia) mysteriosa είναι είδη του γένους Juniperus. Τα ενήλικα του είδους, έχουν μέγεθος 4,5 - 5mm και πετούν τον Απρίλιο.

English: 
The adults of Anthaxia genus fed during the day with petals or flower pollen. Adults have an elongated shape and usually brightly colored carapace with metallic reflections. They lay there eggs in dead branches or trunks of woody plants. The larvae feed from the dead wood. When the larvae reach the final stage of development, transformed into nymphs within the wood. When adults emerge from the timber, a small hole remains on the branch surface.

The known host plants (trees) of the species Anthaxia (Melanthaxia) mysteriosa are species of the genus Juniperus. Adults size is 4.5 - 5mm and they fly at April.
Info from www.anthaxia.eu and wikipedia, edited. 

Photos at Lisi 15/4/2016, by Michael Hadjiconstantis. 

Anthaxia (Anthaxia) brevis Gory & Laporte, 1839 - Cyprus

Family: Buprestidae

Ελληνικά:

Τα ενήλικα άτομα του γένους Anthaxia, τρέφονται κατά την διάρκεια της μέρας με πέταλα ή γύρη λουλουδιών. Τα ενήλικα έχουν επίμηκες σχήμα και συνήθως με έντονα χρωματισμένο κέλυφος με μεταλλικές αντανακλάσεις. Τα ενήλικα αποθέτουν τα αυγά τούς σε νεκρά κλαδιά ή κορμούς ξυλωδών φυτών. Οι προνύμφες τρέφονται με το νεκρό ξύλο. Όταν οι προνύμφες φτάσουν στο τελικό στάδιο ανάπτυξης, μεταμορφώνονται σε νύμφες μέσα στο ξύλο. Όταν ενηλικιωθούν βγαίνουν από το ξύλο αφήνοντας μια μικρή τρύπα (οπή) στην επιφάνεια του κλαδιού.

Τα γνωστά φυτά (δέντρα) ξενιστές του είδους Anthaxia (Anthaxia) brevis είναι: Quercus sp., Pistacia sp., Rhus sp., Cotinus sp. και Fraxinus sp.
Τα ενήλικα του είδους, έχουν μέγεθος 4 - 6mm και πετούν από Μάρτιο μέχρι Άγουστο. Τρέφονται σε κίτρινα άνθη της οικογένειας Asteraceae (Compositae).

English: The adults of Anthaxia genus fed during the day with petals or flower pollen. Adults have an elongated shape and usually brightly colored carapace with metallic reflections. They lay there eggs in dead branches or trunks of woody plants.The larvae feed from the dead wood. When the larvae reach the final stage of development, transformed into nymphs within the wood. When adults emerge from the timber, a small hole remains on the branch surface.

The known host plants (trees) of the species Anthaxia (Anthaxia) brevis are: Quercus sp., Pistacia sp., Rhus sp., Cotinus sp. and Fraxinus sp. Adults size is 4 - 6mm and they fly from March to August. They feed on yellow flowers of the family Asteraceae (Compositae).
Info from www.anthaxia.eu and wikipedia, edited. 

Photos at Skarinou 23/4/2016, by Michael Hadjiconstantis. 

Anthaxia (Cratomerus) diadema (Fischer, 1824) - Cyprus

Family: Buprestidae


Ελληνικά:
Τα ενήλικα άτομα του γένους Anthaxia, τρέφονται κατά την διάρκεια της μέρας με πέταλα ή γύρη λουλουδιών. Τα ενήλικα έχουν επίμηκες σχήμα και συνήθως με έντονα χρωματισμένο κέλυφος με μεταλλικές αντανακλάσεις. Τα ενήλικα αποθέτουν τα αυγά τούς σε νεκρά κλαδιά ή κορμούς ξυλωδών φυτών. Οι προνύμφες τρέφονται με το νεκρό ξύλο. Όταν οι προνύμφες φτάσουν στο τελικό στάδιο ανάπτυξης, μεταμορφώνονται σε νύμφες μέσα στο ξύλο. Όταν ενηλικιωθούν βγαίνουν από το ξύλο αφήνοντας μια μικρή τρύπα (οπή) στην επιφάνεια του κλαδιού.

Τα γνωστά φυτά (δέντρα) ξενιστές του είδους Anthaxia (Cratomerus) diadema είναι: Quercus sp., Acacia saligna, Casuarina sp., Eucalyptus occidentalis και Pyrus communis.

Τα ενήλικα του είδους, έχουν μέγεθος 7mm και πετούν από Μάιο μέχρι Άγουστο. Τρέφονται σε άνθη της οικογένειας Asteraceae (Compositae).

English: 
The adults of Anthaxia genus fed during the day with petals or flower pollen. Adults have an elongated shape and usually brightly colored carapace with metallic reflections. They lay there eggs in dead branches or trunks of woody plants.
The larvae feed from the dead wood. When the larvae reach the final stage of development, transformed into nymphs within the wood. When adults emerge from the timber, a small hole remains on the branch surface.

The known host plants (trees) of the species Anthaxia (Cratomerus) diadema are: Quercus sp., Acacia saligna, Casuarina sp., Eucalyptus occidentalis και Pyrus communis. 

Adults size is 7mm and they fly from May to August. They feed on flowers of the family Asteraceae (Compositae).
Info from www.anthaxia.eu and wikipedia, edited. 

Photos at Skarinou 23/4/2016, by Michael Hadjiconstantis. 

Chrysanthia cyprica Pic, 1920 - Endemic to Cyprus

Endemic to Cyprus

Chrysanthia is a genus of beetles belonging to the family Oedemeridae subfamily Nacerdinae.

Photos Chaleuka 27/4/2016 by George Konstantinou

Rhodalsine geniculata (Poir.) F. N. Williams - Cyprus

Red Data Book category

Rhodalsine geniculata is a species of plants in the family Caryophyllaceae (carpetweeds)

Photos Agios Epictitos  27/4/2016 by George Konstantinou

Silene discolor Sm. - Cyprus

Family: Caryophyllaceae

The native range of this species is Kriti to SW. & SSW. Türkiye, Cyprus. It is an annual and grows primarily in the subtropical biome.

Photos Agios Epictitos  27/4/2016 by George Konstantinou

Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactaceae, and Polygonaceae. It is a large family, with 81 genera and about 2,625 known species.

This cosmopolitan family of mostly herbaceous plants is best represented in temperate climates, with a few species growing on tropical mountains. Some of the more commonly known members include pinks and carnations (Dianthus), and firepink and campions (Silene). Many species are grown as ornamental plants, and some species are widespread weeds. Most species grow in the Mediterranean and bordering regions of Europe and Asia. The number of genera and species in the Southern Hemisphere is rather small, although the family does contain Antarctic pearlwort (Colobanthus quitensis), the world's southernmost dicot, which is one of only two flowering plants found in Antarctica. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia