Siganus rivulatus Forsskål, 1775 - Άσπρη Κουρκούνα, Προσφυγούλα - Cyprus

Lessepsian migrants to Cyprus 

Siganus luridus and Siganus rivulatus, reported along Cyprus since 1929

Underwater photos Protaras 25.05.2016 by Costas Constantinou

Atlantic white-spotted octopus - Callistoctopus macropus (Risso, 1826) - Cyprus

Callistoctopus macropus, also known as the Atlantic white-spotted octopus, white-spotted octopus,  grass octopus or grass scuttle, is a species of octopus found in shallow areas of the Mediterranean Sea, the warmer parts of the eastern and western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the IndoPacific region. This octopus feeds on small organisms which lurk among the branches of corals.

Callistoctopus macropus grows to a mantle length of 20 cm (8 in) with a total length of 150 cm (59 in). The first pair of arms are a metre or so long, and are much longer than the remaining three pairs. The arms are all connected by a shallow web. This octopus is red, with white blotches on its body, and paired white spots on its arms. When it is disturbed, its colour becomes more intense, deimatic behaviour which may make it appear threatening to a potential predator.

Populations of Callistoctopus macropus form a species complex found in the Mediterranean Sea, the temperate and tropical Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It is also present in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It lives near the shore at depths down to about 17 m (56 ft). Its favoured habitat is sand, rubble or seagrass meadows, and it sometimes buries itself under the sand.

Callistoctopus macropus is more fastidious in its diet than is the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris), a species with which it shares some of its range and which feeds by day. Callistoctopus macropus, by contrast, feeds by night. Its method of feeding is to move from one clump of branching coral to another, often Acropora or Stylophora spp.. The octopus wraps its mantle around a coral head and probes with its arms among the branches, searching for the small fish and invertebrates that seek protection there. It has been found that a number of groupers (family Serranidae) and other predatory fish associate with the octopus when it is feeding, pouncing on small organisms that are flushed from the coral head by the octopus.

For many years, the breeding habits of this octopus were not known. Then a female was observed attaching short-stalked eggs, measuring 4 by 1.2 mm (0.16 by 0.05 in), to a hard surface forming a sheet of eggs. The female then brooded the eggs, caring for them by aerating them and keeping them clean. The female octopus stopped feeding at the time the eggs were laid and died soon after they had hatched, as is common among octopus species. The planktonic larvae which emerged from the eggs were each about 5.5 mm (0.2 in) in length with short, seven-suckered arms. They fed on zooplankton such as crustacean larvae.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Underwater photos Protaras 25.05.2016 by Costas Constantinou

Apogonichthyoides pharaonis (Bellotti 1874) - Cyprus

Lessepsian migrants to Cyprus 

Apogonichthyoides is a genus of fish in the family Apogonidae, the cardinalfishes. They are native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.

This genus was separated from Apogon in 2010. These species are light brown to brownish black in color, often with dark elongated spots or stripes. There is usually a line on the cheek and two bars on the body. Some species have an eyelike spot on the side of the body

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1mtr deep,Protaras,25.05.2016 Photos by Costas Constantinou

Valantia hispida L. - Cyprus

Valantia hispida is a species of annual herb in the family Rubiaceae. They have a self-supporting growth form and simple, broad leaves. Individuals can grow to 0.05 m

Photos Nicosia 6/4/206 by George Konstantinou

Hedysarum cyprium Boiss. - Ηδύσαρον το κύπριο - Endemic to Cyprus

See also - Λίστα Ενδημικών Φυτών της Κύπρου - List of Endemics plants of Cyprus

Endemic to Cyprus - Red Data Book category

Hedysarum (sweetvetch) is a genus of the botanical family Fabaceae, consisting of about 309 species of annual or perennial herbs in Asia, Europe, North Africa, and North America.

Species within Hedysarum genus may be herbaceous plants or deciduous shrubs. They have odd-pinnate leaves, with entire leaflets (no notches or indentations). These leaves resemble the leaves of sweet peas. The stipules may be free or connate, and stipels (secondary stipules) are absent.

The inflorescences are peduncled racemes or heads. Bracts are small, with bracteoles below the calyx, and calyx teeth subequal. The petals may be pink, purplish, yellow, or whitish. Vexillum is longer than the wings, with an obtuse keel longer or rarely shorter than the wings. Stamens are diadelphous, 9+1, and anthers uniform. Ovary is 2-8-ovuled. Fruit is a lomentum, with segments that are glabrous, pubescent, bristly, or spiny. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Nicosia 6/10/2011 by George Konstantinou

Duroniella lucasii (Bolivar 1881) - Cyprus

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

Duroniella lucasii inhabits various types of habitats like coastal dunes with humid and grassy depressions, wetlands, oases and other grassy and hot habitats.

Duroniella lucasii occurs in parts of Africa (especially in the North) and SW-Asia (especially in the Levant incl. Cyprus, Arabia). In Europe, it is known from Sardinia.

Photos Geri 29/9/2015 by George Konstantinou

Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad. - Πικραγγουρκά, Πικροπαττισιά - Κολοκυθιά της ερήµου - Cyprus

Citrullus colocynthis, with many common names including colocynth, bitter apple, bitter cucumber,desert gourd, egusi,vine of Sodom, or wild gourd, is a desert viny plant native to the Mediterranean Basin and Asia, especially Turkey (especially in regions such as İzmir), Nubia, and Trieste.

It resembles a common watermelon vine, but bears small, hard fruits with a bitter pulp. It originally bore the scientific name Colocynthis citrullus.

C. colocynthis is a desert viny plant that grows in sandy, arid soils. It is native to the Mediterranean Basin and Asia, and is distributed among the west coast of northern Africa, eastward through the Sahara, Egypt until India, and reaches also the north coast of the Mediterranean and the Caspian Seas. It grows also in southern European countries as in Spain and on the islands of the Grecian archipelago. On the island of Cyprus, it is cultivated on a small scale; it has been an income source since the 14th century and is still exported today. It is an annual or a perennial plant (in wild) in Indian arid zones and has a great survival rate under extreme xeric conditions. In fact, it can tolerate annual precipitation of 250 to 1500 mm and an annual temperature of 14.8 to 27.8 °C. It grows from sea level up to 1500 meters above sea level on sandy loam, subdesert soils, and sandy sea coasts with a pH range between 5.0 and 7.8

The roots are large, fleshy, and perennial, leading to a high survival rate due to the long tap root. The vine-like stems spread in all directions for a few meters looking for something over which to climb. If present, shrubs and herbs are preferred and climbed by means of axiliary branching tendrils

Very similar to watermelon, the leaves are palmate and angular with three to seven divided lobes.

The flowers are yellow and solitary in the axes of leaves and are borne by yellow-greenish peduncles. Each has a subcampanulated five-lobed corolla and a five-parted calyx. They are monoecious, so the male (stamens) and the female reproductive parts (pistils and ovary) are borne in different flowers on the same plant. The male flowers’ calyx is shorter than the corolla. They have five stamens, four of which are coupled and one is single with monadelphous anther. The female flowers have three staminoids and a three-carpel ovary. The two sexes are distinguishable by observing the globular and hairy inferior ovary of the female flowers.

The fruit is smooth, spheric with a 5– to 10-cm-diameter and extremely bitter taste. The calyx englobe the yellow-green fruit which becomes marble (yellow stripes) at maturity. The mesocarp is filled with a soft, dry, and spongy white pulp, in which the seeds are embedded. Each of the three carpels bears six seeds. Each plant produces 15 to 30 fruits.

The seeds are grey and 5 mm long by 3 mm wide. They are edible but similarly bitter, nutty-flavored, and rich in fat and protein. They are eaten whole or used as an oilseed. The oil content of the seeds is 17–19% (w/w), consisting of 67–73% linoleic acid, 10–16% oleic acid, 5–8% stearic acid, and 9–12% palmitic acid. The oil yield is about 400 l/hectare. In addition, the seeds contain a high amount of arginine, tryptophan, and the sulfur-containing amino acids.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Geri 8/10/2014 by George Konstantinou

Prosopis farcta (Banks & Sol.) J. F. Macbr. - Αρκοσκουρουπαθκιά - Cyprus

Family: Fabaceae

Prosopis farcta, the Syrian mesquite, is a species of the genus Prosopis.

Prosopis farcta is a below-ground tree. Above ground, it looks like a shrub with a height of 20–100 cm (in rare cases up to 4m high). In addition, below ground the mesquite has a root system which is really a trunk with branches going as deep as 20 meters or more underground. So it is really a tree, and only the treetop protrudes above ground level. The "treetop" consists of a collection of shrubs which can extend over 1000 square meters or more, all of them connected to the same trunk.

The shrubs grow noticeably in the warm summer months. The mesquite can survive difficult weather and soil conditions (including saline soil), and flourishes in Mediterranean heat, but dislikes shadows.

The plant is common across the Middle East. It can be found as far north as southern Russia in the north, India in the east, and Algeria in the west. It is considered part of the Irano-Turanian Region.

The leaves are green-grey. The plant is deciduous, and leaf fall is dependent on climate conditions at the end of summer and in autumn. The branches are thorny.

Between May and August, the plant produces small yellowish flowers. The plant is rich in pollen, and is a significant pollination plant during Middle Eastern summers.

The fruit is edible. During its ripening, the color changes from pink to brown. Its texture is spongy and its taste bland. It has an irregular vesicle-like shape, and is covered with a leathery peel. Its seeds are small, brown, and flat. Bedouin nomads are known to eat the fruit roasted.

Human uses

The mesquite is considered very damaging to agriculture in deep and heavy soils. To eliminate it, one must not only remove the shrubs, but also completely remove all the roots-trunk from underground. If a small piece of root is left deep underground, a new mesquite can grow from it.

In folk medicine, the fruit is used as a diuretic, and against constipation, hemorrhoids, tooth pain, diabetes, kidney stones, skin conditions, and more. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosopis_farcta

Photos Geri 2/7/2015 by George Konstantinou

Greek whitebeam or Fan-leaved service-tree - Sorbus graeca (Spach) Schauer - Αρκομηλιά, Σουρουβκιά - Cyprus

Sorbus graeca, also known as the Greek whitebeam and fan-leaved service-tree is a species of whitebeam, member of the genus Sorbus in the rose family (Rosaceae).

Description

The Greek whitebeam is a deciduous shrub or small tree from 1 to 8 metres high. It is superficially similar to the closely related common whitebeam, but differs in having more strongly pronounced serrations on its leaves. It bears white flowers and red pomes.

Distribution and habitat

The tree is native to Centra and Southeastern Europe (Albania, Austria, the Balearics, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Cyprus, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Poland, Romania, Sicily, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine), the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia), the Eastern Mediterranean (Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria) and parts of North Africa (Algeria, Morocco). From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorbus_graeca

Photos Troodos 2/7/2015 by George Konstantinou

Apricot - Prunus armeniaca L. - Βερίκοκο - Βερικοκιά - Χρυσομηλιά - Cyprus

Prunus armeniaca ("Armenian plum"), the most commonly cultivated apricot species, also called ansu apricot, Siberian apricot, Tibetan apricot, is a species of Prunus, classified with the plum in the subgenus Prunus. The native range is somewhat uncertain due to its extensive prehistoric cultivation, though almost certainly somewhere in Asia. It is extensively cultivated in many countries and has escaped into the wild in many places.

Prunus armeniaca is a small tree, 8–12 m (26–39 ft) tall, with a trunk up to 40 cm (16 in) in diameter and a dense, spreading canopy. The leaves are ovate, 5–9 cm (2.0–3.5 in) long and 4–8 cm (1.6–3.1 in) wide, with a rounded base, a pointed tip and a finely serrated margin. The flowers are 2–4.5 cm (0.8–1.8 in) in diameter, with five white to pinkish petals; they are produced singly or in pairs in early spring before the leaves. The fruit is a drupe similar to a small peach, 1.5–2.5 cm (0.6–1.0 in) diameter (larger in some modern cultivars), from yellow to orange, often tinged red on the side most exposed to the sun; its surface can be smooth (botanically described as: glabrous) or velvety with very short hairs (botanically: pubescent). The flesh is usually firm and not very juicy. Its taste can range from sweet to tart. The single seed is enclosed in a hard, stony shell, often called a "stone", with a grainy, smooth texture except for three ridges running down one side.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Η βερικοκιά είναι οπωροφόρο, μακρόβιο, φυλλοβόλο δέντρο και ανήκει στο γένος Προύνος της οικογένειας των Ροδοειδών. Στην Κύπρο το δέντρο είναι γνωστό ως χρυσομηλιά.

Βρίσκεται αυτοφυής στην Ανατολική Ασία και τα Ιμαλάια, από όπου μεταφέρθηκε στην υπόλοιπη Ευρώπη μέσω της Αρμενίας, εξ’ ου και η επιστημονική της ονομασία Προυνούς Αρμενιάκα. Πρέπει να ήταν γνωστή στην Κίνα, γιατί υπάρχουν αναφορές σε βιβλία όπου κατά το 2200 π.Χ. είχε την ονομασία Σίνγκ.

Σήμερα καλλιεργείται σε όλες τις εύκρατες περιοχές του κόσμου για το νόστιμο καρπό της, το βερίκοκο. Η βερικοκιά είναι δέντρο με σφαιροειδές σχήμα και αρκετές απλωτές διακλαδώσεις. Τα φύλλα της είναι πλατιά σε σχήμα αβγού ή καρδιάς στιλπνά στην επάνω επιφάνεια και φέρουν αδένες και παράφυλλα πάνω στο μίσχο. Τα άνθη της είναι και αρσενικά και θηλυκά και έχουν χρώμα λευκό ή ελαφρύ ρόδινο, φύονται δε μόνα τους ή ανά δύο.

Η άνθιση ολοκληρώνεται πριν βγουν τα φύλλα και γίνεται την άνοιξη (αρχές Μαρτίου-Απριλίου), είναι δε μικρής διάρκειας.

Η καλλιεργούμενη βερικοκιά πολλαπλασιάζεται με εμβολιασμό που γίνεται σε συγγενικά είδη, κυρίως σε αμυγδαλιά αλλά και σε ροδακινιά, κορομηλιά και δαμασκηνιά.

Για την καλλιέργεια της τα πιο κατάλληλα εδάφη είναι αυτά με μία μέση σύσταση και λεπτή υφή. Όταν υπάρχει δυνατό και ξαφνικό κρύο ή παγετός τότε οι ανθοί καταστρέφονται, αν και τα δέντρα είναι ανθεκτικά και σε πολύ χαμηλές θερμοκρασίες. Υψηλές θερμοκρασίες επίσης προκαλούν αλλοιώσεις στον καρπό. Τα δέντρα χρειάζονται καλό πότισμα την περίοδο της ανθοφορίας τους.

Κάτω από καλές συνθήκες μία βερικοκιά μπορεί να ζήσει και πάνω από 100 χρόνια.
Από τη Βικιπαίδεια, την ελεύθερη εγκυκλοπαίδεια

Photos Potamos tou Kampou 13/5/2016 by George Konstantinou