Albinaria saxatilis avia (Charpentier, 1852) Endemic to Cyprus

Endemic to Cyprus

Albinaria is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Clausiliidae, the door snails.

Ecology and Life Cycle

The snails live on limestone rocks, where they feed on algae and lichen. They are active only during the wet season, that is, in Mediterranean lowlands, from November through April. Eggs are laid shortly after the beginning of the wet season. The development from a juvenile to a fully grown shell takes two to three wet seasons. During the intermittent dry seasons, the snails, young and adults alike, aestivate ("the warm weather equivalent of hibernation") on the rocks or in crevices inside the rocks. For aestivation, aggregates are often formed, sometimes reaching sizes of many hundreds of individuals. During the last dry season prior to sexual maturation, the subadult snail (the shell of which is already fully developed, albeit thinner than that of an adult) increases the size of its genital organs. Copulation then takes place during the first weeks of autumn rains. Population densities can sometimes be very high, in spite of heavy predation by beetle larvae of the genus Drilus. These insects attack the snails during their aestivation, by perforating the shell and eating the snail insid

See also

List of non-marine molluscs of Cyprus - Freshwater snails and Land snails of Cyprus

Photos Pegia by George Konstantinou

Albinaria mavromoustakisi (Brandt, 1961) - Endemic to Cyprus and Pentadaktylos mountain

Endemic to Cyprus

Albinaria mavromoustakisi (Brandt, 1961). Ένα από τα πιο σπάνια ενδημικά χερσαία σαλιγκάρια της Κύπρου που το συναντούμε μόνο στην οροσειρά του κατεχόμενου πενταδάκτυλου και μόνο σε μια μικρή περιοχή.

Albinaria is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Clausiliidae, the door snails.

Ecology and Life Cycle

The snails live on limestone rocks, where they feed on algae and lichen. They are active only during the wet season, that is, in Mediterranean lowlands, from November through April. Eggs are laid shortly after the beginning of the wet season. The development from a juvenile to a fully grown shell takes two to three wet seasons. During the intermittent dry seasons, the snails, young and adults alike, aestivate ("the warm weather equivalent of hibernation") on the rocks or in crevices inside the rocks. For aestivation, aggregates are often formed, sometimes reaching sizes of many hundreds of individuals. During the last dry season prior to sexual maturation, the subadult snail (the shell of which is already fully developed, albeit thinner than that of an adult) increases the size of its genital organs. Copulation then takes place during the first weeks of autumn rains. Population densities can sometimes be very high, in spite of heavy predation by beetle larvae of the genus Drilus. These insects attack the snails during their aestivation, by perforating the shell and eating the snail insid

See also

List of non-marine molluscs of Cyprus - Freshwater snails and Land snails of Cyprus

Photos Kyrenia by George Konstantinou

Albinaria greeni (Tomlin,1935) - Endemic to Cyprus

Endemic to Cyprus

Albinaria is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Clausiliidae, the door snails.

Ecology and Life Cycle

The snails live on limestone rocks, where they feed on algae and lichen. They are active only during the wet season, that is, in Mediterranean lowlands, from November through April. Eggs are laid shortly after the beginning of the wet season. The development from a juvenile to a fully grown shell takes two to three wet seasons. During the intermittent dry seasons, the snails, young and adults alike, aestivate ("the warm weather equivalent of hibernation") on the rocks or in crevices inside the rocks. For aestivation, aggregates are often formed, sometimes reaching sizes of many hundreds of individuals. During the last dry season prior to sexual maturation, the subadult snail (the shell of which is already fully developed, albeit thinner than that of an adult) increases the size of its genital organs. Copulation then takes place during the first weeks of autumn rains. Population densities can sometimes be very high, in spite of heavy predation by beetle larvae of the genus Drilus. These insects attack the snails during their aestivation, by perforating the shell and eating the snail insid

See also

List of non-marine molluscs of Cyprus - Freshwater snails and Land snails of Cyprus

Photos Lutra Afroditis by George Konstantinou

Theodoxus anatolicus (Recluz 1844) - Cyprus

See also

List of non-marine molluscs of Cyprus - Freshwater snails and Land snails of Cyprus

Theodoxus anatolicus is a species of a freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Neritidae, the nerites. 

Distribution

This species occurs in:

Turkey

Cyprus

Theodoxus is a genus of nerites, small water snails with an operculum, some of which live in freshwater, and some in both freshwater and brackish water, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Neritidae, the nerites.

The shell in this genus is semiovular with a flat apertural plain. There is no umbilicus. The columella and inner whorls are dissolved.

Species in the genus Theodoxus are highly variable in size, in color pattern of the periostracum, in details of the operculum and in theradula, and all these factors can make identification to species level very challenging

These animals are live on stones, and often also under stones, in up to 5-6 m depth or deeper, feeding on algal covers. Theodoxus needs rough surfaces in order to be able to digest its food, so a stony substrate is necessary. Green algae are not consumed;Theodoxus has no cellulases. These snails lay egg capsules containing 30-70 eggs each, usually on the shells of other Theodoxusanimals; only one juvenile grows, the other eggs serve as food

There were no systematic review of the genus Theodoxus as of 2007. Bunje (2004) noted at least 34 extant taxa at species level in the genus Theodoxus. IUCN Red List (2015) provided conservation status for 23 species of Theodoxus.  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Lutra Afroditis by George Konstantinou

Melanopsis praemorsa (Linnaeus,1758) - Cyprus

See also

List of non-marine molluscs of Cyprus - Freshwater snails and Land snails of Cyprus

Melanopsis praemorsa is a species of freshwater snail in the family Melanopsidae

Melanopsis is a genus of freshwater snails with a gill and an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Melanopsidae. 

The genus first appeared in the Cretaceous.Melanopsis is the type genus of the family Melanopsidae. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Lutra Afroditis by George Konstantinou

Swift woodlouse, Dairy cow isopod, or Smooth slater - Porcellio laevis (Latreille,1804) - Cyprus

 See also 

All about Cyprus - Όλα για την Κύπρο

Order: Isopoda

Family: Porcellionidae

Porcellio laevis (commonly called the swift woodlouse, dairy cow isopod, or smooth slater in Australia) is a species of woodlouse in the genus Porcellio. As the species epithet laevis as well as the vernacular name "swift woodlouse" suggests, the species is capable of quick bursts of speed when provoked.

This species of woodlouse is distinctively large, appearing up to 20 millimetres (0.79 in) long with a smooth dorsal surface. The males can be identified by their long, spear-shaped uropods. Porcellio laevis has a smooth dorsal surface, which separates its visually from many other species of the Porcellio genus.

It is commonly kept as a pet due to its somewhat easy care requirements and the variety of color morphs available. The species is easy to keep and can be easily established in a terrarium within a few weeks. "Dairy cow isopod" is a commonly used name for a readily available piebald strain of the species.

Distribution and habitat

P. laevis was first recorded in Britain in the 13th century but it likely originated in North Africa. It has a cosmopolitan distribution, and has been introduced to Australia, including Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island. The species is also found in North and South America, Western Asia, Japan and some Pacific islands.

This species is found under rocks and fallen logs in damp areas, and is otherwise rarely encountered. Records from Ireland and Britain also place them in agricultural areas like gardens, farms, and stables where they can be found in dung and compost piles. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porcellio_laevis

Photos Geri 7/11/2014 by George Konstantinou

Armadillo officinalis (Duméril,1816) - Cyprus

Family Armadillidae

Photos Achna 8/12/2014 by George Konstantinou

Armadillo officinalis (family Armadillidae), which attains lengths of 19 millimetres (0.75 inch), is native to southern Europe.

Armadillidae is a family of woodlice (Oniscidea; terrestrial crustaceans), comprising around 80 genera and 700 species. It is the largest family of Oniscidea, and one of the most species-rich families of the entire Isopoda. Armadillids generally have a strongly convex body shape, with some rather shallowly convex. Like members of the woodlice family Armadillidiidae, armadillids are capable of enrolling into a sphere (conglobation), and are commonly known as pill bugs. Armadillids differ from the Armadillidiidae in that the antennae are fully enclosed within the sphere.

Species of Armadillidae occur in a variety of habitats including forests, savannas, and arid regions. Armadillids occur natively in the Afrotropics, Asia, Australia, the Neotropics, and the Mediterranean region of Europe. A few poorly-known species occur in North America north of Mexico, and some are introduced.

The family Armadillidae was erected by German naturalist Johann Friedrich von Brandt in 1831, although the earliest named genus now assigned to the family is Armadillo, described by French zoologist André Marie Constant Duméril in 1816. The German zoologist Karl Wilhelm Verhoeff described nearly one quarter of currently recognized genera. .From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armadillidae

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Common earwig or European earwig - Forficula auricularia (Linnaeus,1758) - Cyprus

Order: Dermaptera

Family: Forficulidae

Forficula auricularia, the common earwig or European earwig, is an omnivorous insect in the family Forficulidae. The European earwig survives in a variety of environments and is a common household insect in North America. The name "earwig" comes from a false superstition that these insects crawl into human ears and enter the brain; in fact, they are harmless to humans. However, they are considered a pest because of the damage they do to crops, their frightening appearance, ability to fly (which they rarely use), foul odor, and tendency to invade crevices in homes and consume pantry foodstuffs.

The Forficula auricularia is reddish brown in colour, with a flattened and elongate body, and slender, beaded antennae. An obvious feature of earwigs is the pair of 'pincers' or forceps at the tip of the flexible abdomen. Both sexes have these pincers; in males they are large and very curved, whereas in females they are straight. Larvae or 'nymphs' are similar to adults in appearance, but their wings are either absent or small

European earwigs spend the day time in cool, dark, inaccessible places such as flowers, fruits, and wood crevices. Active primarily at night, they seek out food ranging from plant matter to small insects. Though they are omnivorous, they are considered scavengers rather than predators. Often they consume plant matter, though they have also been known to feed on aphids, spiders, insect eggs, and dead plants and insects, among other things. Their favorite plants include the common crucifer Sisymbrium officinale, the white clover Trifolium repens, and the dahlia Dahlia variabilis. They also like to feed on molasses, as well as on nonvascular plants, lichens and algae. They prefer meat or sugar to natural plant material even though plants are a major natural food source. European earwigs prefer aphids to plant material such as leaves and fruit slices of apple, cherry and pear. Adults eat more insects than do nymphs.

Although F. auricularia have well-developed wings, they are fairly weak and are rarely, if ever, used. Instead, as their main form of transportation, earwigs are carried from one place to another on clothing or commercial products like lumber, ornamental shrubs and even newspaper bundles From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Achna 26/10/2014 by George Konstantinou

Potter wasp or mason wasps - Σφήκες αγγειοπλάστες - Eumeninae - Vespidae - Cyprus

Potter wasps (or mason wasps), the Eumeninae, are a cosmopolitan wasp group presently treated as a subfamily of Vespidae, but sometimes recognized in the past as a separate family, Eumenidae.
Most eumenine species are black or brown, and commonly marked with strikingly contrasting patterns of yellow, white, orange, or red (or combinations thereof), but some species, mostly fromtropical regions, show faint to strong blue or green metallic highlights in the background colors. Like most vespids, their wings are folded longitudinally at rest. They are particularly recognized by the following combination of characteristics: 1) a posterolateral projection known as a parategula on both sides of the mesoscutum; 2) tarsal claws cleft; 3) hind coxae with a longitudinal dorsal carina or folding, often developed into a lobe or tooth; and 4) fore wings with three submarginal cells.
Eumenine wasps are diverse in nest building. The different species may either use existing cavities (such as beetle tunnels in wood, abandoned nests of other Hymenoptera, or even man-made holes like old nail holes and even screw shafts on electronic devices) that they modify in several degrees, or they construct their own either underground or exposed nests. The nest may have one or several individual brood cells. The most widely used building material is mud made of a mixture of soil and regurgitated water, but many species use chewed plant material, instead.

The name "potter wasp" derives from the shape of the mud nests built by species of Eumenes and similar genera. It is believed that Native Americans based their pottery designs upon the form of local potter wasp nests.

All known eumenine species are predators, most of them solitary mass provisioners, though some isolated species show primitive states of social behaviour and progressive provisioning.

When a cell is completed, the adult wasp typically collects beetle larvae, spiders, or caterpillars and, paralyzing them, places them in the cell to serve as food for a single wasp larva. As a normal rule, the adult wasp lays a single egg in the empty cell before provisioning it. Some species lay the egg in the opening of the cell, suspended from a thread of dried fluid. When the wasp larva hatches, it drops and starts to feed upon the supplied prey for a few weeks before pupating. The complete lifecycle may last from a few weeks to more than a year from the egg until the adult emerges. Adult potter wasps feed on floral nectar.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Nicosia by George Konstantinou

See also 

Heath Potter wasp nest - Eumenes coarctatus (Linnaeus, 1758)- Family Vespidae - Σφήκες αγγειοπλάστες - Cyprus

Potter wasps - Katamenes dimidiatus (Brullé, 1832) - Cyprus

Potter wasps.- Rhynchium oculatum (Fabricius, 1781) - Cyprus

Keeled skimmer - Orthetrum coerulescens (Fabricius, 1798) - Cyprus

See also - List of Odonata of Cyprus - (Dragonflies and Damselflies of Cyprus)

The keeled skimmer, Orthetrum coerulescens, is a species of European dragonfly. This species resembles the black-tailed skimmer but is slimmer and the male has no black tip. Females and immature males lack the black abdominal pattern. The pterostigma is orange and the thorax usually bears pale stripes. It breeds mainly in peat bogs and flies (in the UK) from June to September including places like Chudleigh Knighton Heath.

This dragonfly is common in central and southern Europe. It is locally common in western Britain and Ireland. Its typical habitat is acidic heath land, where it is often seen alongside golden-ringed dragonflies. Its flight is quite skittish, with frequent hovering, and it lands often. It can fly quite a distance from water, despite its seemingly weak flight. When it perches, the wings are held forward. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Nicosia by George Konstantinou