Unknown Shrimps - Cyprus

Underwater photos Protaras by Costas Constantinou

Underwater photos at Akrotiri 22/10/2016 by Kostas Aristeidou

Sea star - Astropecten platyacanthus (Philippi, 1837) - Cyprus

Astropecten platyacanthus is a sea star of the family Astropectinidae.

Starfishes of genus Astropecten live on mobile seabed (sandy, muddy or gravel seabed) and they remain largely buried under sediment during the day. During the late afternoon and the night starfishes go out to hunt mainly bivalve molluscs, which are their favourite preys. This species lives only in the Mediterranean Sea and it lives on all mobile seabed at depths between 1 and 60 m, but it is more frequently in seabed of mixed coarse sand and mud at 1-4 m depth. This specie is active and easy to find during the night but also during the day, especially in early morning and late afternoon.

It has narrow and high superomarginal plates, laterally covered with scales and small spines (on vertical face). Every superomarginal plates is equipped with one strong spine, usually sharp but irregularly shaped, slightly flattened laterally, often yellow or orange but rarely off white. Sometimes, especially in young specimen, only superomarginal plates between the arms are equipped with one strong spine while others are not (in some rare specimens all the superomarginal plates are totally devoid of spines). In populations of certain areas of the Mediterranean (for example, the South of Corsica) this feature is very frequent. The superomarginal spines are (more or less) far from the inside edge of plates and they leave on top, on the base of them, a small bare area that it is white if there is a strong spine in the plate (usually in the plates near the disc) or blue-violet if the plate has very small spine or no spine (usually towards the tip of arms). The maximum number of superomarginal plates, observed on each arm, is 48; normally the number is between 29 and 43, depending on the size of the starfish. The inferomarginal spines are long, flat and quite pointed. It is an Astropecten with very variables features and it can have wide or narrow arms. The aboral side has very variables colours and it can be more or less dark brown, olive green, pink-brown, bluish-grey. The oral side usually is yellow-brown. Normally it reaches a diameter of 9-12 cm and exceptionally it can measure up to 18 cm. It is the Mediterranean Astropecten hardest to identify both for the variability of features of the species, both for the resemblance to some other species.
It is distinguished from Astropecten bispinosus mainly for the superomarginal spines far from the inside edge of plates and they leave on top, on the base of them, a small bare area. Another important Astropecten platyacanthus’s feature is that the superomarginal plates are laterally, on vertical face, covered with scales and small spines rather than nude. Moreover, it is different because it has smaller, irregularly shaped, laterally flattened (rather than clean conical spine) superomarginal spines and because it has average less superomarginal plates on each arm. In addition, on average Astropecten platyacanthus has a central disc larger, a darker oral side and a small red point in the point of arms have.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Underwater photo by Costas Constantinou

Boops boops Linnaeus, 1758 - Γόπα - Cyprus

Boops boops (/ˈboʊ.ɒps/; Greek: βόωψ boōps, literally "cow-eye"), also called the bogue, is a species of seabream native to the eastern Atlantic. Its common name in all languages refers to its large ("bug") eyes. It is found off the coasts of Europe, Africa, the Azores and the Canary Islands, from Norway to Angola, and in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The species avoids brackish waters such as the Baltic Sea. A demersal and semi-pelagic feeder, it can generally be found down to 100 m, and infrequently down to 350 m. It consumes seaweed, crustaceans, and some plankton, in schools that rise to the surface at night. Individuals can reach 36 cm, but average 20 cm.

Sex determination in Boops boops is unclear. It has variously been described as a rudimentary intersex organism, with a few intersex individuals, or a protogynic intersex, with individuals starting out life as females, and some becoming male later on.

It is commercially fished, with 37,830 t taken in 2008. When cleaned and pan fried, broiled or baked fresh, they are good tasting, but when stored their gut flora soon spread unpleasant flavors to their flesh. Much of the catch is used for fishmeal or tuna fishing bait.

Bogue are host to a wide variety of parasites, ranging from metazoans such as Digenean flatworms, Acanthocephalan spiny-headed worms, nematode roundworms, isopod and copepod crustaceans and Myxozoan cnidarians to the unicellular dinoflagellate Ichthyodinium chabelardi, a parasite that is lethal to eggs developing in ovaries. At least 67 metazoan parasite species have been reported from Boops boops, and their community structures are well studied by scientists.[3] For example, in the aftermath of the 2002 Prestige oil spill the community of parasitic species inhabiting bogue caught off the coast of Spain was found to be noticeably altered.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Underwater photo by Costas Constantinou

Squid eggs - Αυγά από Καλαμάρι - Cyprus

Squid are cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 304 species. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms arranged in pairs and two, usually longer, tentacles. Squid are strong swimmers and certain species can "fly" for short distances out of the water.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Underwater photo 13mts deep, Larnaca, 04.06.2016 by Costas Constantinou

Atlantic wreckfish - Polyprion americanus (Bloch and Schneider, 1801) - Κολαούζος ή βλάχος -.Cyprus

The Atlantic wreckfish, Polyprion americanus, is a marine, bathydemersal, and oceanodromous fish in the family Polyprionidae. It is found in the eastern and western Atlantic Ocean, western Indian Ocean, and the southwest Pacific Ocean. It is also known as stone bass, because it inhabits rocky ledges and wrecks.
Atlantic wreckfish are deep-water fish found on the ocean bottom at depths between 40 and 600 m (130 to 2,000 ft), where they inhabit caves and shipwrecks (thus their name). They are largely solitary fish, but juveniles will school below floating objects. Wreckfish are oviparous fish that spawn in the summer. They do not guard their eggs or young. The diets of Atlantic wreckfish consist mainly of large ocean cephalopods, crustaceans, and other bottom-dwelling fishes. The fish are important as a game fish, reaching a maximum reported length of 210 cm (7 ft) and weight of 100 kg (220 lb). They are also occasionally sold commercially both fresh and frozen.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Underwater photo 3mts deep, Larnaca, 04.06.2016 by Costas Constantinou

Bearded fireworm - Hermodice carunculata (Pallas, 1766) - Cyprus

The bearded fireworm (Hermodice carunculata) is a type of marine bristleworm belonging to the Amphinomidae family, native to the tropical Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

Bearded fireworms are usually 15 centimetres in average length, but can reach up to 30 centimetres.

At first glance, this fire worm looks like a centipede with its elongated and flattened appearance, multiple segments, white silks, and parapodia and gills located on the side of its body. Its colors are varied and range from greenish, to yellowish, to reddish, grayish through white with a pearly glow. The body consists of 60 to 150 identical segments separated from each other by a thin white line and protected by cuticles. Each segment has a pair of parapodia, a structure for locomotion, clusters of stinging white bristles, and red or orange gills all in bilateral position. The anterior part of the worm can be recognized by small growths, called caruncle, which have the same color of the gills on the first four segments. The mouth is ventral and is located on the second segment. The head is shown on the first segment and includes the eyes and other sensory organs.


The bearded fireworm lives throughout the tropical coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean. On the eastern side they are found from Algeria to Liberia, and on the western side from the southeast coast of the United States of America to Guyana, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. They are also found in the eastern area of the Mediterranean Sea around the Maltese archipelago.

This fireworm is found in many marine living environments such as corals, rocks, mud, sand, posidonia, and on drifting wood as well as port infrastructure in shallow water from the surface to 40 meters deep

The bearded fireworm is a voracious predator and feeds on dead or decaying organisms and coral polyps.

The bearded fireworm is a slow creature, and is not considered a threat to humans unless touched by a careless swimmer. The bristles, when flared, can penetrate human skin, injecting a powerful neurotoxin and producing intense irritation and a painful burning sensation around the area of contact. The sting can also lead to nausea and dizziness. This sensation lasts up to a few hours, but a painful tingling can continue to be felt around the area of contact. In a case of accidental contact, application and removal of adhesive tape will help remove the spines; applying isopropanol to the area may help alleviate the pain.
The transcriptome of the bearded fireworm was sequenced and annotated in 2015
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Underwater photos at Akrotiri by Kostas Aristeidou

Photos by Costas Constantinou

Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) baldaccii Emery 1894 - Carpenter ant - Cyprus

Carpenter ants (Camponotus spp.), are large (0.3 to 1.0 in or 0.76 to 2.54 cm) ants indigenous to many forested parts of the world.

They build nests inside wood consisting of galleries chewed out with their mandibles, preferably in dead, damp wood. They do not consume the wood, however, unlike termites. Sometimes, carpenter ants hollow out sections of trees. They also commonly infest wooden buildings and structures, and are a widespread nuisance and major cause of structural damage. One of the most familiar species associated with human habitation in the United States is the black carpenter ant (Camponotus pennsylvanicus). The genus includes over 1,000 species

Habitat
Carpenter ant species reside both outdoors and indoors in moist, decaying, or hollow wood, most commonly in forest environments. They cut "galleries" into the wood grain to provide passageways for movement from section to section of the nest. Certain parts of a house, such as around and under windows, roof eaves, decks and porches, are more likely to be infested by carpenter ants because these areas are most vulnerable to moisture.[citation needed]

Carpenter ants have been known to construct extensive underground tunneling systems. These systems often lead to and end at some food source – often aphid colonies, where the ants extract and feed on honeydew. These tunneling systems also often exist in trees. The colonies typically include a central "parent" colony surrounded and supplemented by smaller satellite colonies.

Food
Carpenter ants are foragers that typically eat parts of other dead insects or substances derived from other insects. Common foods for them include insect parts, "honey dew" produced by aphids, or some secretions from plants. Carpenter ants can increase the survivability of aphids when they attend to them. They attend to any aphid species, but can also express preference for specific ones.

Most species of carpenter ants forage at night. When foraging, they usually collect and consume dead insects. Some species less commonly collect live insects. When they discover a dead insect, workers surround it and extract its bodily fluids to be carried back to the nest. The remaining chitin-based shell is left behind. Occasionally, the ants bring the chitinous head of the insect back to the nest, where they also extract its inner tissue. The ants can forage individually or in small or large groups, though they often opt to do so individually. Different colonies in close proximity may have overlapping foraging regions, though they typically do not assist each other in foraging. Their main food sources normally include proteins and carbohydrates.

When workers find food sources, they communicate this information to the rest of the nest. They use biochemical pheromones to mark the shortest path that can be taken from the nest to the source. When a sizable number of workers follows this trail, the strength of the cue increases and a foraging trail is established. This ends when the food source is depleted. Foraging trails can either be under or above ground.

Although carpenter ants do not tend to be extremely aggressive, they have developed mechanisms to maximize their provision from a food source when that same food source is visited by a competing organism. This is accomplished in different ways. Sometimes they colonize an area near a relatively static food supply. More often, they develop a systemic way to visit the food source with alternating trips by different individual ants or groups. This allows them to decrease the gains of intruders because the intruders tend to visit in a scattered, random, and unorganized manner. The ants, however, visit the sources systematically such that they lower the mean standing crop. They tend to visit more resource-dense food areas in an attempt to minimize resource availability for others. That is, the more systematic the foraging behavior of the ants, the more random that of its competitors.

Contrary to popular belief, carpenter ants do not actually eat wood because they are unable to digest cellulose. They only create tunnels and nests within it.

Symbionts
All ants in this genus, and some related genera, possess an obligate bacterial endosymbiont called Blochmannia. This bacterium has a small genome, and retains genes to biosynthesize essential amino acids and other nutrients. This suggests the bacterium plays a role in ant nutrition. Many Camponotus species are also infected with Wolbachia, another endosymbiont that is widespread across insect groups. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Photos at Kampos 21/05/2016 by Michael Hadjiconstantis

Cheilomenes propinqua nilotica Mulsant - Cyprus

Family: Coccinellidae

Cheilomenes propinqua is a carnivorous beetle of the family Coccinellidae. The species adults and larvae, feeds on aphids.

Photos at Aradippou 20/5/2016, by Michael Hadjiconstantis. 

Many thanks to Michalis Michael for his help on finding the species.

Exochomus nigromaculatus (Goeze, 1777) - Cyprus

Family: Coccinellidae

Like many species of the Coccinellidae family, Exochomus nigromaculatus feeds on aphids on low vegetation and sometimes on trees and shrubs. Exochomus nigromaculatus larvae feed also on aphids.

Photos at Lakatamia 15/5/2016, by Michael Hadjiconstantis. 

Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata (Linnaeus, 1758) - 22-spot ladybird - Cyprus

Family: Coccinellidae

Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata (often abbreviated to Psyllobora 22-punctata), the 22-spot ladybird, is a 3–5 mm long ladybird commonly found in Europe . Unlike most other ladybirds which feed on aphids, P. 22-punctata eats mildew especially from umbellifers and low-growing shrubs.  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Probably the first record of the species in Cyprus. 

Many thanks to Maria Stelikou for her help on finding the species.

Photos at Aradippou 20/5/2016, by Michael Hadjiconstantis. 

Andrachne telephioides L. - Cyprus

Andrachne is a genus of flowering plants in the family Phyllanthaceae described by Linnaeus in 1753. It is one of eight genera in the tribe Poranthereae.

They are monoecious herbs or subshrubs, native to semideserts and desert margins of the Americas, southern Europe, North Africa, and South Asia. Linnaeus took the name from Theophrastus, but it is not clear to which plant Theophrastus applied the name.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Rizokarpaso 5/5/2016 by George Konstantinou

Red mullet - Mullus barbatus Linnaeus, 1758 - Κουτσομούρα -Στρίλια - Cyprus

The red mullet (Mullus barbatus) is a species of goatfish found in the Mediterranean Sea, Marmara Sea, the Black Sea and the eastern North Atlantic Ocean from Scandinavia to Senegal.

Underwater photos Protaras 25.05.2016 by Costas Constantinou