False widow spider - Steatoda paykulliana Walckenaer, 1805 - Cyprus

Family: Theridiidae

The spider genus Steatoda, in the family Theridiidae, includes over 120 recognized species, distributed around the world (including many cosmopolitan species which are found among human populations worldwide).

These usually dark spiders have in most species a white line around the anterior back, in addition to other lines or spots.

Many spiders of the genus Steatoda are often mistaken for widow spiders (Latrodectus), and are known as false black widows; however Steatoda are significantly less harmful to humans. Steatoda are shaped similarly to widow spiders, with round, bulbous abdomens. However, not all Steatoda species resemble widows – many have distinct coloring, and are significantly smaller thanLatrodectus specimens. Some species of Steatoda will actually prey on widows, as well as other spiders which are considered hazardous to humans.

Some members of this genus do have bites which are medically significant in humans (such as S. grossa and S. nobilis), however bites by Steatoda species generally do not have any long-lasting effects. The symptoms associated with the bite of several Steatoda species are known in the medical profession as steatodism; and have been described as a less-severe form of latrodectism (the symptoms associated with a widow spider bite). The redback spider antivenom has been shown to be effective at treating bites fromS. grossa, after it was mistakenly administered to a S. grossa bite victim who was erroneously believed to have been bitten by the far more dangerous redback.

In common with other members of the Theridiidae family, the Steatoda spiders construct a tangle web, i.e., an irregular tangle of sticky silken fibers. As with other web-weavers, these spiders have very poor eyesight and depend mostly on vibrations reaching them through their webs to orient themselves to prey or to warn them of larger animals that could injure or kill them. They are not aggressive, and most injuries to humans are due to defensive bites delivered when a spider gets unintentionally squeezed or pinched somehow. It is possible that some bites may result when a spider mistakes a finger thrust into its web for its normal prey, but ordinarily intrusion by any large creature will cause these spiders to flee

. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Latsia by George Konstantinou

Philaeus chrysops (Poda, 1761) - Cyprus

Photos Zigi by George Konstantinou












Philaeus chrysops is a species of jumping spider (Salticidae).

Normal body length is 7–12 millimetres (0.28–0.47 in), but 5 mm small males do occur. Unusual for spiders, the males are often bigger. The sexes differ extremely: males are very colorful with a glaringly red opisthosoma (chrysops means "golden eye" in Greek). The males have a dark brown cephalothorax with two broad longitudinal white stripes behind the rear eyes. The abdomen is bright orange-red on the back and the sides, with a longitudinal black stripe in the center and black shoulders. The long, slender legs are dark with the patellae and most of the tibiae of the first two pairs bright orange-red. The cephalothorax of the female is similar to the male, but with much smaller white stripes. The back of her abdomen is largely covered with a very broad brown band with two narrow longitudinal white stripes and a few white marks near the sides. The remainder of the abdomen and the sides are orange, the legs light brown with dark brown rings.

The spider prefers open and warm areas.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Chaleuka 27/4/2016 by George Konstantinou

Eusparassus walckenaeri (Audouin, 1826) - Cyprus

 Family: Sparassidae











Eusparassus is a genus of huntsman spiders found in Africa, Europe, Cyprus the Middle East, Asia, and Peru. The genus was first described by Eugène Simon in 1903. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Orkonta by George Konstantinou

Brown widow, grey widow, brown black widow, house button spider or geometric button spider - Latrodectus geometricus (Koch,1841) - Cyprus

Latrodectus geometricus, commonly known as the brown widow, grey widow, brown black widow, house button spider or geometric button spider, is one of the widow spiders in the genus Latrodectus. As such, it is a 'cousin' to the more infamous Latrodectus mactans (black widow).
The brown widow is thought by some researchers to originate in South Africa. The origin of this species is uncertain, as specimens were discovered in both Africa and South America. They are usually found around buildings in tropical areas. They can compete with populations of the black widow spider. It has migrated to many parts of the world. It is found in many areas of the United States, Australia,Afghanistan, China, Japan, Tanzania, Dominican Republic, Cyprus, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Brazil, and there have been sightings in the United Arab Emirates and Thailand.
L. geometricus is slightly smaller and generally lighter in color than the black widow species; the color can range from tan to dark brown to black, with shades of grey also possible. Like the black widow species in the United States, L. geometricus has a prominent hourglass-shaped marking on the underside of the abdomen; the brown widow's hourglass, however, is usually a vivid orange or a yellowish color. Unlike the black widow, L. geometricus has a black-and-white geometric pattern on the dorsal side of its abdomen. Although the Latin name comes from this pattern, a spider's coloring can and does darken over time and the pattern may become obscured. Also, they have stripes on their legs. Brown widows are often preyed on by mud daubers and sometimes by digger wasps.
Brown widows can be located by finding their egg sacs, which are easily identifiable. They resemble a sandspur, having pointed projections all over, and they are sometimes described as "tufted", "fluffy", or "spiky" in appearance. Eggs hatch in approximately 20 days. Female brown widows "lay about 120-150 eggs per sac and can make 20 egg sacs over a lifetime.

Like all Latrodectus species, L. geometricus has a neurotoxic venom that, drop for drop, is as toxic as the black widow's. However, brown widow bites are usually not very dangerous; usually much less dangerous than the black widow's. The effects of the toxin are usually confined to the bite area and surrounding tissue, unlike the black widow's. Mere toxicity of the venom is not the only factor in dangerousness. Brown widow bites are minor compared to black widow bites because they cannot deliver the same amount of venom as the black widow The LD-50 of L. geometricus venom has been measured in mice as 0.43 mg/kg., and separately again as 0.43 mg/kg (with a confidence interval of 0.31-0.53).

Similar widows include the L. rhodesiensis, a brown-colored relative of L. geometricus which is native to Zimbabwe. Both species are collectively known as brown button spiders throughout southern Africa. Brown button spiders are known to have a lifespan of about two years. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Mazotos by George Konstantinou

Huntsman spider - Micrommata ligurina C. L. Koch, 1845 - Cyprus

Micrommata ligurina is a species of huntsman spider. It was first described by Carl Ludwig Koch in 1845

In the females of Micrommata ligurina the body length can reach 9–14 millimetres (0.35–0.55 in), while in the males it is about 6–9 millimetres (0.24–0.35 in).The carapace is long and narrow and the abdomen is elongate. The cephalothorax and the long legs of the females are bright green, with a lighter green abdomen showing an almost indistinct median band.

This spider is very similar to the green huntsman spider (Micrommata virescens), but the females have a black dot on the carapace. Moreover the adult males of M. ligurina have a dark brown median band on abdomen with whitish or gray sides.


The eight eyes are arranged in two rows and surrounded by white hairs. Adults can be found in late winter and in early spring.

Micrommata ligurina occurs from the Mediterranean Basin to Central Asia. The range of this species includes Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Great Britain, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Macedonia, Malta, Portugal, Romania and Spain.
These huntsman spiders live on herbaceous vegetation
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micrommata_ligurina

Photos Geri by George Konstantinou

Greylag Goose (Anser anser) (Linnaeus,1758) Σταχτόχηνα - Cyprus

The greylag goose (also spelled graylag in the United States) (Anser anser) is a bird with a wide range in the Old World. It is the type species of the genus Anser.

It was in pre-Linnean times known as the wild goose ("Anser ferus"). This species is the ancestor of domesticated geese in Europe and North America. Flocks of feral birds derived from domesticated birds are widespread.

The greylag goose is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

Within science, the greylag goose is most notable as being the bird with which the ethologist Konrad Lorenz first did his major studies into the behavioural phenomenon of imprinting.

This species is found throughout the Old World, apparently breeding where suitable localities are to be found in many European countries, although it no longer breeds in southwestern Europe. Eastwards, it extends across Asia to China. In North America, there are both feral domestic geese, which are similar to greylags, and occasional vagrants.

In Great Britain, their numbers had declined as a breeding bird, retreating north to breed wild only in the Outer Hebrides and the northern mainland of Scotland. However, during the 20th century, feral populations have been established elsewhere, and they have now re-colonised much of England. These populations are increasingly coming into contact. The breeding habitat is a variety of wetlands including marshes, lakes, and damp heather moors.

In Norway, the number of greylag geese is estimated to have increased three- to fivefold during the last 15–20 years. As a consequence, farmers' problems caused by goose grazing on farmland has increased considerably. This problem is also evident for the pink-footed goose.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Meneou 19/2/2017 by George Konstantinou

Eurasian Penduline Tit (Remiz pendulinus) (Linnaeus, 1758) Υφάντρα - Cyprus

The Eurasian penduline tit or European penduline tit (Remiz pendulinus) is a passerine of the genus Remiz. It is relatively widespread throughout Eurasia. The breeding range of the species in Western Europe has experienced an expansion during the 1980s and 1990s. This was accompanied by an expansion of the species’ winter range and reached as far south as northern Morocco.

It builds an elaborate hanging nest, formerly used in Central Europe as children's slippers.

This species was first described as Motacilla pendulinus by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758

The penduline tit has a large range, estimated at 1-10 million square kilometres (0.4-3.8 million square miles), and a population estimated at 420,000–840,000 individuals in Europe alone, and there is evidence that the population is increasing. It is therefore not believed to meet the IUCN Red List threshold criterion of a population decline of more than 30% in ten years or three generations, and is evaluated as Least Concern. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Zakaki 30/1/2016 by George Konstantinou 

Cretzschmar's Bunting (Emberiza caesia) (Cretzschmar,1827) Φρυγανοτσίχλονο - Cyprus

The Cretzschmar's bunting (Emberiza caesia) is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae.

It breeds in Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and the coastal countries along the eastern edge of the Mediterranean. It is migratory, wintering in the Sudan. It is a very rare wanderer to western Europe.

Cretzschmar's bunting breeds on sunny open hillsides with some bushes. It is mainly coastal or insular, and often breeds at lower levels than the closely related ortolan bunting where both occur. It lays four to six eggs in a ground nest. Its natural food consists of seeds and when feeding young, insects.

This bird is smaller than ortolan. The breeding male has a grey head with orange moustaches. The upperparts are brown and heavily streaked, except on the rump, and the underparts are rusty orange. The stout bill is pink.

Females and young birds have a weaker head pattern, and are more similar to ortolans. They can be distinguished by the warm brown rump and white eye-ring.

The name commemorates the German physician and scientist Philipp Jakob Cretzschmar who founded the Senckenberg Natural History Museum.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos  and videos Macheras by George Konstantinou