Biodiversity of Cyprus by NGO Protection of the Natural Heritage and the Biodiversity of Cyprus

The rich and rare biodiversity in Cyprus. The Cyprus biodiversity includes 1908 plants, 780 seashells, 250 fishes, more than 7.000 insects, 410 birds including migratory, 31 mammals, 9 snakes, 11 lizards,three amphibians, 120 land snails, fungi estimated 5-8 thousandand and three turtles.These numbers continually increase as a result of researc. Also see All about Cyprus. From George Konstantinou. Email - fanigeorge@hotmail.com - Το υλικό της ιστοσελίδας αποτελεί πνευματική ιδιοκτησία.

Wednesday, 5 August 2015

Mallow Skipper - Carcharodus alceae (Esper, 1780) - Cyprus

Tuesday, 4 August 2015

Mustha spinosula (Lefèbvre,1831) - Cyprus

Family. Pentatomidae.

Photos Nicosia 1/8/2015 by George Konstantinou

Monday, 3 August 2015

Dog-rose - Rosa canina L. (Αρκοτριανταφυλλιά, Μουσσιέττα) - Cyprus

Rosa canina, commonly known as the dog-rose, is a variable climbing wild rose species native to Europe,Cyprus, northwest Africa and western Asia.

It is a deciduous shrub normally ranging in height from 1–5 m, though sometimes it can scramble higher into the crowns of taller trees. Its stems are covered with small, sharp, hooked prickles, which aid it in climbing. The leaves are pinnate, with 5-7 leaflets. The flowers are usually pale pink, but can vary between a deep pink and white. They are 4–6 cm diameter with five petals, and mature into an oval 1.5–2 cm red-orange fruit, or hip.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Troodos 8/7/2015 by George Konstantinou

Pyrgomorpha cognata (Krauss,1877) - Cyprus

Pyrgomorpha is the type genus of grasshoppers in the family Pyrgomorphidae and the tribe Pyrgomorphini. Species are found in Southern Europe, Africa and the middle East, through to India and Mongolia.

Family Pyrgomorphidae

Photos Potamia 17/10/2014 by George Konstantinou

Blue-winged grasshopper - Oedipoda caerulescens (Linnaeus,1758) - Cyprus

The blue-winged grasshopper, Oedipoda caerulescens is a grasshopper in the genus Oedipoda.
This species occurs in Europe, North Africa and Asia. It was recently rediscovered again in the Maltese islands.
Oedipoda caerulescens is a medium-sized grasshopper, between 15 and 21 mm for males and between 22 to 28 mm for females. The body coloration varies greatly depending on the substrate on which the animals have developed: reddish brown, gray, yellowish, or even completely dark or bright. The forewings are crossed most often by two or three pale bands, but the most striking characteristic, very visible when the insect flies away, is the bright coloration of the hind wings, a beautiful turquoise highlighted with a black marginal stripe. Furthermore, the posterior femora have a notch on their upper surface. At rest, confusion is possible with other Oedipoda species such as O. germanica.
Oedipoda caerulescens frequents dry areas with low and open vegetation: dunes, heathlands, grasslands on sand and sunlit limestone rocks. Many stations correspond to land recently used for human activities, such as coal spoil heaps, quarries and pits, the ballast of railway tracks, etc. It is exclusively a terrestrial insect, and its cryptic coloration often matches its substrate. The female lays her eggs in bare, dry soil. In this species, acoustic emissions are virtually nonexistent. The diet consists mainly of grasses.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Potamia 23/11/2014 by George Konstantinou

Ochrilidia pruinosa (Brunner von Wattenwyl,1882) - Cyprus

Family. Acrididae

Ochrilidia is a genus of grasshoppers in the subfamily Gomphocerinae and typical of the tribe Ochrilidiini; it was erected by Carl Stål in 1873. Species have been recorded from Africa, the Middle East through to India and certain Mediterranean islands in Europe

Photos Potamia 17/10/2014 by George Konstantinou

Short-horned Grasshoppers - Heteracris littoralis (Rambur, 1838) - Cyprus

Heteracris littoralis, a member of Short-horned Grasshoppers Family Acrididae.

Photos Latsia 30/9/2014 by George Konstantinou

African or Mediterranean field cricket or two-spotted cricket - Gryllus bimaculatus (De Geer,1773) - Cyprus

Gryllus bimaculatus is one of many cricket species known as field crickets. Also known as the African or Mediterranean field cricket or as the two-spotted cricket, it can be discriminated from other Gryllus species by the two dot-like marks on the base of its wings.

The species is popular for use as a food source for insectivorous animals like spiders and reptiles kept as pets or in zoos. They are easy to raise and do not require prolonged exposure to cold in order to complete their life cycle.

In the wild, male crickets tolerate one another and will fight until there is a winner. The loser usually retreats without serious injury. The fighting method involves opening the mandibles as wide as possible, gripping onto the opponent's mandibles and pushing with the hind legs.

Male crickets of this species produce several distinctive chirps, though each sound is made by rubbing the two outer wings together. Loud and steady chirps made throughout the night are to attract females and to warn off other males. Loud fast-frequency chirps are emitted when males encounter one another and are preparing to fight. They are intended to frighten off the rival male. A soft clipping sound is made when a female is known to be nearby. Its purpose is to encourage the female to mate.

.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Geri 29/10/2014 by George Konstantinou

Photos Geri 12/8/2023 by George and Fani Konstantinou

European mole cricket - Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa (Linnaeus, 1758) - Κρεμμυδοφάγος, Κολοκυθοκόφτης, Κολοκυθάς - Cyprus

Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa, commonly known as the European mole cricket, is widespread in Europe and has been introduced to the eastern United States. The scientific name is derived from the Latin 'gryllus' meaning a cricket and 'talpa', a mole, and is descriptive because of the fine dense fur by which it is covered and its subterranean habits, and because of the mole-like forelegs adapted for digging, a good example of convergent evolution.

The body length is about 40 millimetres in males and 45 millimetres in females. The cricket is dark brown with a silky shimmer and yellowish underside and is covered with fine velvety hairs. The forelegs are powerful and modified for digging. The elytra are half the length of the abdomen and the wings are transparent and netted with veins. They are folded into pleats and seldom used as the cricket normally remains below the ground. The males can be distinguished from the females by the open vein area in the forewing known as the 'harp' while the females lack the external ovipositor that is possessed by other crickets.
This mole cricket occurs throughout much of the Western Palaearctic, but is replaced by similar species in the south and east, and becomes rare or absent towards the north. Favoured habitats include damp rich soils, flood plains, reservoir edges, irrigated and well-fertilized fields and vegetable gardens. The family Gryllotalpidae includes several similar species.
The female cricket lays 100 to 350 eggs in an underground chamber in the spring. They hatch ten to twenty days later and she guards them for another two to three weeks. The nymphs moult six times and take from one to three years to reach maturity. Adults and nymphs live underground throughout the year in extensive tunnel systems that may reach a depth of over a metre in the winter. They are omnivorous, feeding on roots, tubers and rhizomes and a range of soil invertebrates. They often leave neat circular holes in tuberous plants. The males occasionally produce a soft, 'churring' song from within a specially constructed chamber in the burrow system. This acts to amplify the song which is believed to be used for attracting females. The sounds are typically produced on warm mild evenings in early spring and they are similar to the song of the nightjar, Caprimulgus europeaeus. Natural enemies include rooks, starlings and other birds, shrews, moles, ants, ground beetles, nematodes and mites. During winters interrupted by thaws, fungal diseases may cause mass deaths.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Geri 19/4/2015 by George Konstantinou

Exodrymadusa inornata (Uvarov, 1936) - Endemic to Cyprus

Endemic to Cyprus

The Cyprian genus Exodrymadusa Karabag (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae)

The Cyprian endemic genus Exodrymadusa Karaba™ is studied. First male of only known species Exodrymadusa inornata Uvarov is described. Taxonomic position of the genus is discussed. Descriptive illustrations are given.

Photos Troodos 12/11/2014 by George Konstantinou

Slant-faced grasshopper - Chorthippus bornhalmi (Harz,1971) - Cyprus

Chorthippus bornhalmi is a species of slant-faced grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It is found in southern Europe and southwest Asia

Family Acrididae

Photos Troodos 10/5/2015 by George Konstantinou

Short-horned grasshopper - Calliptamus barbarus (Costa, 1836) - Cyprus

Calliptamus barbarus is a species of short-horned grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It is found in the Palearctic

Family: Acrididae

Photos Akanthou 27/10/2014 by George Konstantinou

Cyprian Red-headed Bush-cricket - Bucephaloptera cypria (Ramme,1933) - Endemic to Cyprus

Endemic to Cyprus

Family, Tettigoniidae

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

Photos Tzelefos 12/11/2014 by George Konstantinou