Cynara makrisii Hand & Hadjikyriakou - Endemic to Cyprus

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

Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Cardueae

Endemic to Cyprus

Red Data Book category

Vulnerable (VU), IUCN criteria: D2

The species was firstly found by Mr. Christodoulos Makris. Mr. Makris knew was something new for Cyprus. Scientist thought that is Cynara syriaca. Some years after they conclude that is indeed a new species for science and endemic to Cyprus. So they give the name of the species in honor of its founder.

Cynara is a genus of thistle-like perennial plants in the sunflower family. They are native to the Mediterranean region, the Middle East, northwestern Africa, and the Canary Islands. The genus name comes from the Greek kynara, which means "artichoke''. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Photos  8/06/2016 by Michael Hadjiconstantis

Cynara is a genus of thistle-like perennial plants in the family Asteraceae. They are native to the Mediterranean region, the Middle East, northwestern Africa, and the Canary Islands. The genus name comes from the Greek kynara, which means "artichoke"

Slender goby - Gobius geniporus Valenciennes, 1837 - Cyprus

Gobius geniporus, the Slender goby, is a species of goby endemic to the Mediterranean Sea where it can be found in inshore waters to a depth of about 30 metres (98 ft). It lives in areas with sandy or muddy substrates near beds of sea-grass. This species can reach a length of 16 centimetres

Underwater photos Protaras by Costas Constantinou

Unknown Sponges - Σπόγγοι - Cyprus

Sponges are animals of the phylum Porifera (/pɒˈrɪfərə/; meaning "pore bearer"). They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through them, consisting of jelly-like mesohyl sandwiched between two thin layers of cells. Sponges have unspecialized cells that can transform into other types and that often migrate between the main cell layers and the mesohyl in the process. Sponges do not have nervous, digestive or circulatory systems. Instead, most rely on maintaining a constant water flow through their bodies to obtain food and oxygen and to remove wastes.

Underwater photos by Costas Constantinou

Underwater photos Limasol 21/05/2016 7m deep  by Kostas Aristeidou