Cicada orni (Linnaeus,1758) Cicada - Cyprus

Cicada orni is a species of cicada belonging to the family Cicadidae, subfamily Cicadinae and the genus Cicada.

The genus name comes directly from the Latin cicada meaning "buzzer", while the species name orni possibly comes from Fraxinus ornus(Manna Ash or South European Flowering Ash), where this cicada often lay its eggs deep in branches.

The adults of Cicada orni reach approximately 25 millimetres (0.98 in) in length, with a wingspan of about 70 millimetres (2.8 in). The cryptic coloration of the body varies from brown to gray. The abdomen has reddish segments and a silky pubescence. The head shows large and prominent eyes far apart on the sides, three small eyes (ocelli) located on the top, very short antennae and a long proboscis used for feeding on sap. The membranous front wings are transparent, with well-drawn veins and several characteristic black spots

Adult cicadas can be encountered in summer feeding on sap from trees or shrubs, with their mouthparts well adapted for piercing and sucking.

Only males produce their well-known calling song, a clicking sound caused by the contraction and relaxation of abdominal membranes (tymbal). This song has the function of sexual attraction for females. Usually males sing in aggregations of many individuals on sunny tree branches. When the males are approached by the females, the courtship takes place, in which cicadas repeatedly hug and touch each other with their legs. At the end of this process they mate in the same place.

The adult cicadas lay their eggs in the summer, which will hatch in late summer or autumn. While their lifespan as adults lasts only about a month and a half for breeding, the larvae will live for several years underground, feeding on juices of plant roots.

This species is one of the most common in southern and central Europe, in the Near East and in North Africa.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Nicosia, 5/8/2015  by George Konstantinou

Small copper, American copper, or the common copper - Lycaena phlaeas (Linnaeus, 1761) - Cyprus

See also - List of butterflys of Cyprus - Λίστα των πεταλούδων της Κύπρου

Family:Lycaenidae

The small copper, American copper, or the common copper (Lycaena phlaeas) is a butterfly of the Lycaenids or gossamer-winged butterfly family. According to Guppy and Shepard (2001), its specific name phlaeas is said to be derived either from the Greek Phlego, "to burn up" or from the Latin Floreo, "to flourish".
The upperside forewings are a bright orange with a dark outside edge border and with eight or nine black spots. The hindwings are dark with an orange border. Some females also have a row of blue spots inside the orange border and are known as form caeruleopunctata. The undersides are patterned in a similar way but are paler. The black spots on the forewings are outlined in yellow and the dark colouring is replaced by a pale brownish, gray. The hindwings are the same brown/grey colour with small black dots and a narrow orange border. The caterpillars (larvae) are usually green, but some have a purple stripe down the middle of the back and along each side.

It is widespread and common across Europe, Asia, and North America, and also found in North Africa south through to Ethiopia.

It can be found almost anywhere in south/central England and Wales although never, it seems, in large numbers. Its distribution becomes more patchy in northern England, Scotland and Ireland.

It is found in a wide variety range of habitats from chalk downlands, heathland, woodland clearings to churchyards and waste ground in cities.

In bright sun it is a very active little butterfly with the males setting up small territories which they will defend vigorously against rival males or indeed any unlucky passing insect. Even the shadow of a large bird passing overhead is enough to elicit a response. Females are pursued and mating usually occurs in vegetation.

The eggs are laid singly and conspicuously on the upperside of foodplant leaves and the young caterpillar feeds on the underside of the leaf creating "windows" by leaving the upper epidermis of the leaf untouched. Pupation takes place in the leaf litter and the pupa is thought to be tended by ants. There are between two and three broods a year, fewer further north. In exceptionally good years, a fourth brood sometimes occurs in the south and adults can still be seen flying into November. The species overwinters as a caterpillar.

Depending on the habitat, common sorrel (Rumex acetosa) and sheep's sorrel (Rumex acetosella) are the two main food-plants, although other docks (Rumex spp.) are occasionally used.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Potamia, 16/6/2011  by George Konstantinou

Pale persicaria - Persicaria lapathifolia subsp. lapathifolia - Cyprus

Persicaria lapathifolia (syn. Polygonum lapathifolium), known as pale persicaria, is a plant of the family Polygonaceae. It is closely related to Redshank and as such is considered a weed in Britain and Europe. Other common names for the plant include pale smartweed, curlytop knotweed, and willow weed. It is a species complex made up of a great many varying forms, sometimes considered varieties. The environment also has a strong influence on the morphology of an individual plant.
Persicaria lapathifolia is an annual herb with erect reddish stems with swollen joints, growing to a height of 20 to 80 cm (8 to 31 in). The leaves are alternate with short stalks, often densely hairy underneath. The leaf blades often have a dark-coloured blotch in the centre and are lanceolate or narrowly elliptical and have entire margins. Each leaf base has stipules which are fused into a stem-enclosing sheath that is loose and fringed with few if any hairs at the upper end. The inflorescence is a dense spike, often nodding. The perianth of each tiny pink flower consists of four or five lobes, fused near the base. There are six stamens, two partially fused carpels and two styles. The fruit is a rounded, flattened nut. This plant flowers from July to September in northern temperate regions.
Persicaria lapathifolia is found in many parts of both the Old World and New World. Many varietal and sub-specific names have been coined, as the plant is morphologically variable. The species is found growing on the sea shore and in disturbed ground such as arable land, gardens, waste ground, rubbish tips and road verges. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Orkonta, 15/8/2014  by George Konstantinou

Orange tip - Anthocharis cardamines (Linnaeus, 1758) - Cyprus

See also - List of butterflys of Cyprus - Λίστα των πεταλούδων της Κύπρου

The orange tip (Anthocharis cardamines) is a butterfly in the family Pieridae.
The common name derives from the bright orange tips of the male's forewings. The males are a common sight in spring, flying along hedgerows and damp meadows in search of the more reclusive female which lacks the orange and is often mistaken for one of the other 'white' butterflies. The undersides are mottled green and white and create a superb camouflage when settled on flowerheads such as cow parsley and garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata). The male is able to hide his orange tips by tucking the forewings behind the hindwings at rest. On close examination of the mottling, the green colour can be seen to be made up of a mixture of black and yellow scales. The butterfly is found across Europe, and eastwards into temperate Asia as far as Japan. The past 30 years have seen a rapid increase in the range of the orange tip in the UK, particularly in Scotland and Ireland, probably in response to climate change.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Agios Epiktitos  by George Konstantinou

Cyprus Meadow Brown - Maniola cypricola - Endemic to Cyprus

See also - List of butterflys of Cyprus - Λίστα των πεταλούδων της Κύπρου

Endemic to Cyprus.

Family:Nymphalidae

Maniola cypricola on endemic plant  Lomelosia cyprica 

                               Strange Cyprus Meadow Brown (Maniola cypricola) 

Grass Jewel - Freyeria trochylus or Chilades trochylus (Freyer 1845) - Cyprus

See also - List of butterflys of Cyprus - Λίστα των πεταλούδων της Κύπρου

Family:Lycaenidae

The Grass Jewel (Chilades trochylus) is a small butterfly found in Africa, southern Europe, India and southern Asia that belongs to the Lycaenids or Blues family.

"When full-grown a little over a quarter of an inch in length, onisciform as usual; the head very small, black and shining, entirely hidden when at rest, being covered by the second segment; the colour of the body grass-green, with a dark green dorsal line from the third to the twelfth segment; two subdorsal series of short parallel streaks, each pair being divided from the next by the segmental constriction, these streaks paler than the ground-colour; an almost pure white lateral line below the spiracles, which is the most conspicuous of all the markings ; the segmental constrictions rather deep ; the whole surface of the body shagreened, being covered with very small whitish tubercles, from which spring very fine short colourless hair's. The usual extensile organ on the twelfth segment. Dr. George King, Superintendent of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Sibpur, near Calcutta, has identified its food-plant as Heliotropium strigosum, Willd. Professor A. Forel identifies the ant as Pheidole quadrispinosa, Jerdon." (de Niceville quoted by Bingham)

Other food plants noted include Goniogyna hirta. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Latsia  by George Konstantinou

Red Admiral - Vanessa atalanta (Linnaeus, 1758) - Cyprus

See also - List of butterflys of Cyprus - Λίστα των πεταλούδων της Κύπρου

Family:Nymphalidae

The Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) is a well-known colourful butterfly, found in temperate Europe, Asia and North America. The Red Admiral has a 45–50 mm (1.8–2.0 in) wing span. The species is resident only in warmer areas, but migrates north in spring, and sometimes again in autumn.

This medium-sized butterfly is identified by its striking dark brown, red, and black wing pattern. More specifically, the dark wings possess orange bands that cross the fore wings and on the outer edge of the hind wings; white spots on the dorsal fore wings near the front margin; reddish bars on dorsal surface of all four wings. The caterpillar feeds on nettles, and the adult drinks from flowering plants like the Buddleia and overripe fruit.

In northern Europe, it is one of the last butterflies to be seen before winter sets in, often feeding on the flowers of ivy on sunny days. The Red Admiral is also known to hibernate, re-emerging individuals showing prominently darker colourings than first brood subjects. The butterfly also flies on sunny winter days, especially in southern Europe.

In North America, the Red Admiral generally has two broods from March through October. Most of North America must be recolonized each spring by southern migrants, but this species over-winters in south Texas.

The Red Admiral is the butterfly featured by Vladimir Nabokov, an amateur lepidopterist, in his novel Pale Fire.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Latsia  by George Konstantinou

Cyprus Grayling - Hipparchia cypriensis (Holik,1949) - Endemic to Cyprus

See also - List of butterflys of Cyprus - Λίστα των πεταλούδων της Κύπρου

Endemic to Cyprus

Family Nymphalidae

Photos Troodos  by George Konstantinou 

Hermit - Chazara briseis larnacana (Linnaeus,1764) - Cyprus

See also - List of butterflys of Cyprus - Λίστα των πεταλούδων της Κύπρου

family Nymphalidae

The Hermit (Chazara briseis) is a butterfly species belonging to the family Nymphalidae. It can be found in North Africa, Southern Europe,Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Middle Asia through Afghanistan, and North-Western China and Tuva.

The wingspan is 45–60 mm. The butterflies fly from July to September depending on the location.

The larvae feed on Sesleria coerulea and Gramineae, Sesleria, Festuca, Stipa, Poa, Brachypodium and Lolium species.

.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Athalassa  by George Konstantinou 

Dark Grass Blue - Zizeeria karsandra (Moore, 1865) - Cyprus

See also - List of butterflys of Cyprus - Λίστα των πεταλούδων της Κύπρου

Family:Lycaenidae

Zizeeria karsandra, the dark grass blue, is a small butterfly first described by Frederic Moore in 1865. It is found from the southern Mediterranean, in a broad band to India, Sri Lanka, the Andaman and Nicobar islands, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Yunnan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Oman, New Guinea and northern and eastern Australia. It belongs to the lycaenids or blues family, and the tribe Polyommatini.

Description

Frederic Moore described this species on 1865 as: "Upperside purple-brown. Underside greyish brown, exterior margins defined by a brown line: fore wing with a spot within discoidal cell, a discocellular streak, a spot above it, and a transverse discal series of six spots black, each encircled with white; a marginal and submarginal row of pale brown, white-bordered lunules: hind wing with a series of twelve black spots, and a pale discocellular streak, encircled with white; a marginal row of pale brown, whitish-encircled spots, and a submarginal row of whitish lunules: cilia greyish brown."

Food plants

The recorded food plants include:

Zornia diphylla

Amaranthus viridis (in association with the ant Tapinoma melanocephalum)

Amaranthus tricolor

Amaranthus viridis

Melilotus indica

Medicago sativa

Zornia diphylla

Trifolium alexandrinum

Glinus lotoides

Tribulus cistoides

Tribulus terrestris

Photos Athalassa 10/10/2014 by George Konstantinou 

Lulworth skipper - Thymelicus acteon (Rottemburg, 1775) - Cyprus

See also 

List of butterflys of Cyprus - Λίστα των πεταλούδων της Κύπρου

All about Cyprus - Όλα για την Κύπρο

  Family. Hesperiidae 

The Lulworth skipper (Thymelicus acteon) is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family. Its name is derived from Lulworth Cove in the county of Dorset, England, where the first specimens in Great Britain were collected in 1832 by English naturalist James Charles Dale.

The species occurs locally across Central Europe, Asia Minor and North Africa, where its population is considered stable. Its numbers have declined in Northern Europe, leading to its European status of "vulnerable". Its range in Britain is restricted to the south coast of Dorset, however it is locally abundant and its numbers currently are perhaps at their greatest since its discovery there.

With a wingspan of 24 to 28 millimetres, females being larger than males, the Lulworth skipper is a small butterfly, the smallest member of the Thymelicus genus in Europe and among the smallest butterflies in Britain. Aside from the size difference, the sexes are distinguished by females having a distinct circle of golden marks on each forewing. Due to their likeness to the rays around the eye of a peacock's feather, these are often known as "sun-ray" markings, and they can faintly appear on males.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Athalassa 13/5/2014 by George Konstantinou