Euoniticellus pallipes (Fabricius 1798) - Southern Sandy Dung Beetle - Cyprus

Family: Scarabaeidae
Subfamily: Scarabaeinae
Tribe: Oniticellini

Photos at Akrotiri 10/4/2016, by Michael Hadjiconstantis. 

Bubas bubaloides Janssens, 1938 - Dung beetle - Cyprus

Family: Scarabaeidae
Subfamily: Scarabaeinae
Tribe: Onitini

Bubas bubaloides is widely distributed in the south and east of the Mediterranean basin, from Morocco (many sites) to Turkey.  The species replaces to B.bison in northern Magreb.

Distripution:
Algeria; Cyprus; Greece; Iraq; Israel; Lebanon; Libya; Morocco; Syrian Arab Republic; Tunisia & Turkey.


Habitat and Ecology:
It is an species that can be found between sea level to 1,500 m asl in Morocco. This species inhabits grasslands and shrublands. It digs tunnels for breathing and eating, and it is absent or rare when the soil is too compact and where the water table level is too close to the surface.
This species feeds mostly on droppings of large animals (e.g., horse and cow dung).

Major Threat(s):
Changes in land use, such as changes in the type of livestock or replacement of livestock for intensive agriculture, could produce local declines. There is a potential risk of mortality of larvae when adults use dung contaminated by some veterinary medical products for breeding. From www.iucnredlist.org

Photos at Akrotiri 10/4/2016, by Michael Hadjiconstantis

Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) praeclara praeclara Mannerheim, 1837 - 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.

Το είδος Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) praeclara έχει μέγεθος 4,5 - 6 mm. Τα γνωστά είδη ξενιστές του είναι: Pinus sp., Cedrus sp. & Juniperus sp.


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.

Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) praeclara is a species with the size of 4,5 - 6 mm. It can be found flying around and sitting on yellow flowers. It hosts on dead branches of Pinus sp., Cedrus sp. & Juniperus sp.
Info from www.anthaxia.eu and wikipedia, edited. 

Photos at Asia (Famagusta) 15/04/2016, by Michael Hadjiconstantis

Anthaxia (Anthaxia) togataeformis Novak 2001 - Endemic to Cyprus.

Family: Buprestidae
Subfamily: Buprestinae
Tribe: Anthaxiini

Endemic to Cyprus.

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.

Το είδος Anthaxia togataeformis έχει μέγεθος 4,4 - 6,3 mm. 


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.

Anthaxia togataeformis is a species with the size of 4,4 - 6,3 mm. It can be found flying around and sitting on yellow flowers.
Info from www.anthaxia.eu and wikipedia, edited. 

Photos at Larnaca 16/04/2016, by Michael Hadjiconstantis

Xanthogaleruca luteola (Müller, 1766) - Elm leaf beetle - Cyprus

Family: Chrysomelidae
Subfamily: Galerucinae
Tribe: Galerucini

Xanthogaleruca luteola, commonly known as the elm-leaf beetle, is an invasive beetle pest species in the family Chrysomelidae. The adul is 6–8 mm in length, ranges from yellow to green in colour, with a spot on its head, an hourglass mark and two spots on the pronotum, and a broad, dark stripe along the edge of each elytron. The larvae are usually black, occasionally black and yellow, with multiple rows of dots on the back and on the sides and < 13 mm long. The pupae are orange-yellow with black chaetae. The ova are yellow, and laid in spindle-like clusters of < 25 on the undersides of the elm leaves.

Distribution
These beetles are common in the Western Palaearctic ecozone from Portugal to Central Asia. Indigenous to Europe, it was accidentally introduced to North America and Australia. It is now widespread, and a serious pest in Australia and parts of North America.

Ecology
Xanthogaleruca luteola is a serious pest of the elm. Both the imagines and larvae feed on the emergent leaves of the elm. Repeated heavy infestation rarely kills the tree outright. It usually weakens it by defoliating it, rendering it vulnerable to disease. Falling branches usually allow for bark beetles to spread, which causes the Dutch elm disease. Elm leaf beetles do not transmit the disease. The beetles are active in the spring since elm leaf beetles cannot thrive in temperatures below 52 °F. In fact, weather is one of the most limiting factors in the population growth of Xanthogaleruca luteola. A late spring freeze or long winter can kill off entire elm leaf beetle colonies.

The imagines depart their hibernation sites (often houses) in early spring, the females laying their ova on the underside of the elm leaves. The ova hatch after one week, the larvae immediately feed on the underside of the leaves. This larval stage lasts for a period of between two and three weeks, at the end of which it will migrate to the lower part of the tree in search of bark crevices in which to pupate. The next generation emerges in mid-summer after two to three weeks' pupation, and begins feeding on the leaves. The female can lay < 800 ova, but this ovipositing may be interrupted by shortening of the photoperiod to < 14 hours, inducing a brief feeding bout before the search for a hibernation site.

Hosts include English Elm (Ulmus procera), Scotch Elm (Ulmus glabra), American Elm (Ulmus americana), Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila), Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia) as well as complex hybrids such as 'Homestead'. The beetle has also been reported on Zelkova serrata. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Photos at Athalassa 11/04/2016, by Michael Hadjiconstantis.

Galeruca (Galeruca) interrupta Illiger 1802 - Cyprus

Family: Chrysomelidae
Subfamily: Galerucinae
Tribe: Luperini

Ελληνικά: 
Το είδος Galeruca interrupta είναι αρκετά κοινό στην Κύπρο. Συναντάτε τους Ανοιξιάτικους μήνες σε μεγάλες ομάδες, πάνω σε ποώδη φυτά σε όλη την Κύπρο.

English:
The species Galeruca interrupta is quite common in Cyprus. We meet it in the spring months in large groups, on herbaceous plants allover Cyprus.

Photos at Lakatamia 8/04/2016, by Michael Hadjiconstantis.

Labidostomis decipiens Faldermann 1837 - Cyprus

Family: Chrysomelidae
Subfamily: Clytrinae

Ελληνικά: 

Το είδος Labidostomis decipiens είναι αρκετά κοινό στην Κύπρο. Συναντάτε τους Ανοιξιάτικους μήνες σε μεγάλες ομάδες, πάνω σε ποώδη φυτά σε όλη την Κύπρο. Τα αρσενικά ξεχωρίζουν εύκολα από τα θηλυκά, από τα μεγάλα μπροστινά τους πόδια. 

Στο νησί υπάρχει και το είδος Labidostomis karamanica Weise 1900, το οποίο είναι σπανιότερο και συναντάται κυρίως σε φυλλοβόλα δέντρα όπως o Δρυς. 

English:

The species Labidostomis decipiens is quite common in Cyprus. We meet it in the spring months in large groups, on herbaceous plants allover Cyprus. Males can be easily distinguished from females by their large front legs.

On the island also occurs the species Labidostomis karamanica Weise 1900, which is rarer and occurs primarily in deciduous trees such as oaks. 

Photos at Lakatamia 8/04/2016, by Michael Hadjiconstantis

Blitopertha nigripennis (Reitter, 1888) - Cyprus

Superfamily: Scarabaeoidea
Family: Rutelidae

The species found flying around and feeding on Cistus sp. and Convolvulus sp. flowers, near Kyrenia city.

Photos at Kyrenia 3/04/2016, by Michael Hadjiconstantis

 

Onthophagus (Onthophagus) taurus (Schreber 1759) - The taurus scarab - Cyprus

Family: Scarabaeidae

Subfamily: Scarabaeinae

The taurus scarab (Onthophagus taurus) is a species of dung beetle in the genus Onthophagus.

Description

Onthophagus taurus can reach a length of 5.5–11 millimetres (0.22–0.43 in). These small beetles are oval shaped, the color is usually black or reddish-brown. Sometimes the pronotum has a weak metallic sheen. Males have on the heads a pair of long protrusions or horns (hence the species name) that they use to fight with each other to gain mating rights with females.Some males do not have horns, and therefore do not come into the fight, but have larger gonads. A similar dimorphism in males have been found in some other species (Ageopsis nigicollis, Podischnus agenor) . This adaption reduces direct competition with horned males. Onthophagus taurus can pull a weight of 1141 times its own body mass and is considered the strongest animal on earth on a body weight to lift ratio.

Distribution

This species is present in Europe, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Syria, Irak, Transcaucasia, Asia Minor, Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia and USA.

Economic value

Dung beetles have been utilized in the breakdown of manure on sheep and dairy farms worldwide. In September 2013 O. taurus was released for the first time in New Zealand, in the Gore District of Southland. These beetles pull the manure into the ground to create their brood balls, which they use as egg chambers. This increases grazing space for cattle, reduces habitats for flies and bacteria, and reduces the need for chemical fertilizers. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

In Cyprus

In Cyprus the species occurrence is connected with the presence of free grazing animals, like at Akrotiri and Karpasia peninsula. In livestock farm areas, the species is facing reproduction problems, because of pesticides and parasiticides.

Photos at Akrotiri 10/4/2016, by Michael Hadjiconstantis. 

Brachycerus argillaceus Reiche 1857 - Cyprus

Family: Curculionidae
Subfamily: Brachycerinae

Many thanks to Christos Zoumides, for his help in finding the species.

Photos at Athalassa 9/02/2016, by Michael Hadjiconstantis 

Playing dead, defense mechanism