Silene behen L. - Cyprus

Silene is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. Containing approximately 700 species, it is the largest genus in the family. Common names include campion (which is shared with the related genus Lychnis) and catchfly. Many Silene species are widely distributed, particularly in the northern hemisphere

Silene is the feminine form of Silenus, a Greek woodland deity.

Silene undulata (syn. S. capensis) is known as iindlela zimhlophe ("white paths") by the Xhosa of South Africa. A Xhosa diviner identifies and collects the plant from the wild. The roots are ground, mixed with water, and beaten to a froth, which is consumed by novice diviners during the full moon to influence their dreams. They also take it to prepare for various rituals. The root has such a strong, musky essence that the diviners who consume it exude the scent in their sweat

Silene was originally described by Linnaeus, and members of this genus have been the subject of research by preeminent plant ecologists, evolutionary biologists, and geneticists, including Charles Darwin, Gregor Mendel, Carl Correns, Herbert G. Baker, and Janis Antonovics. Many Silene species continue to be widely used study systems, particularly in the fields of ecology and evolutionary biology. The genus has been used as a model for understanding the genetics of sex determination for over a century. Silene species commonly contain a mixture of hermaphroditic and female (or male-sterile) individuals (gynodioecy), and early studies by Correns showed that male sterility could be maternally inherited, an example of what is now known as cytoplasmic male sterility. Two independent groups of species in Silene have evolved separate male and female sexes (dioecy) with chromosomal sex determination that is analogous to the system found in humans and other mammals. Silene flowers are frequently visited by flies, such as Rhingia campestris.[9] Silene species have also been used to study speciation, host-pathogen interactions, biological species invasions, adaptation to heavy-metal-contaminated soils, metapopulation genetics, and organelle genome evolution. Notably, some members of the genus Silene hold the distinction of harboring the largest mitochondrial genomes ever identified.

If the related genera Lychnis, Melandrium, and Viscaria are included in Silene, it contains about 700 species. Divisions of the genus into subgenera or sections before 2003 do not seem to be well-supported by molecular evidence
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silene

Photos Lapithos 2017 by George Konstantinou

Forkbeard - Phycis phycis (Linnaeus, 1766) - Σαλούβαρδος ή γάρος - Cyprus

Phycis phycis, the forkbeard, is a species of phycid hakes in the family Phycidae

Genus and species names Phycis derive from Greek, phykon meaning seaweed, as these fishes usually live hidden among seaweeds.

Phycis phycis commonly can reach a length of 25 centimetres (9.8 in), with a maximum length of 65 centimetres (26 in) in males.

These fishes have a wide mouth with thick lips. A barbel is present on the chin. They do not have any thorn in the fins, but show elongated pelvic-fin rays reduced to bifid filaments, with 2 soft rays. The dorsal fin is a double and rounded (the first can have 9 or 11 soft rays, the second 56 or 65). The caudal fin is rounded, with 27 or 29 soft rays. Vertical fins distally reaching the origin of the anal fin. They are dark, sometimes with a pale margin. Body color is dark brown or gray on the back, but ventrally the color becomes paler.

Forkbeards are nocturnal, during the day they hide between rocks. They feed on small fish and several species of invertebrates. Breeding takes place from January to May. They are relatively slow growing and long lived fishes.

This species is present in the western Mediterranean, in Portugal and in western coast of northern Africa and the Azores. These fishes live on hard and sandy-muddy bottoms close to the rocks usually, at depths of 100–650 m.
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phycis_phycis

Underwater photos  by Kostas Aristeidou

Spiny starfish - Marthasterias glacialis (Linnaeus, 1758) - Cyprus

Marthasterias is a genus of starfish in the family Asteriidae. It is monotypic and the only species in the genus is Marthasterias glacialis, commonly known as the spiny starfish. It is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

Marthasterias glacialis is a fairly large starfish with a small central disc and five slender, tapering arms. Each arm has three longitudinal rows of conical, whitish spines, usually with purple tips, each surrounded by a wreath of pedicellariae. The background colour is variable and may be brownish or greenish-grey, tinged with yellow or red and sometimes with purple at the tips of the arms. This species can grow to 70 cm (28 in) but a more usual size is 25 to 30 cm (10 to 12 in). It is sometimes confused with the northern starfish Leptasterias muelleri.

Marthasterias glacialis is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Its range extends from Iceland to the Azores and the Mediterranean Sea, and it has been observed in South Africa. Around the British Isles it is limited to the western side of Scotland, Wales, the western part of southern England and most of Ireland. Its depth range is subtidal down to about 200 m (656 ft) and it is found on both sheltered muddy substrates and on rocks.

Like other starfish in the family Asteriidae, Marthasterias glacialis is a predator and feeds mostly on bivalve molluscs and other invertebrates. It has been found that secondary metabolites known as saponins, found within the starfish's tissues, have a dramatic effect on the whelk Buccinum undatum. At low concentrations they cause the mollusc to withdraw from the vicinity of the starfish and at higher concentrations they cause convulsions in the mollusc's musculature. The sea urchins Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis and Psammechinus miliaris are also affected by the chemicals. S. droebachiensis flees but P. miliaris has toxic pedicellariae and is able to defend itself.

The reproductive biology of this starfish has been little studied but off the coast of Ireland, individuals gather together in very shallow water in July and August. A few days later, on a warm afternoon, they have been observed to arch their bodies and release spawn into the sea. A rise in the water temperature seems to have triggered the spawning. Male starfish as small as 2.5 cm (1 in) were observed to spawn, and females of at least 9 cm (3.5 in) diameter.
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marthasterias

Underwater photos  by Costas Constantinou

Vermileonidae - Wormlions - Cyprus

Family: Vermileonidae

The Brachyceran family Vermileonidae (the sole member of the infraorder Vermileonomorpha) is a small family of uncertain affinities and unusual biology, containing fewer than 80 rare species in 10 genera. Historically the Vermileonids had been regarded as belonging to the family Rhagionidae, possibly in a subfamily Vermileoninae. Their biology and morphology is so markedly distinct from the main Rhagionidae sensu stricto, that the placement as a separate family has been widely accepted.

Larvae

The larvae of vermileonids are called wormlions which amounts to a direct translation of Vermileo. They have evolved the same elaborate mechanism for trapping prey, as one sees in many species of the Neuropteran family Myrmeleontidae, the so-called "antlions"; that is, they make cone-shaped "pits" in sandy areas and feed on insects that fall into the pits. The mechanism is elegant in that in both groups of insects, the larva creates the pit by flinging particles out. Much of the material falls back, coming to rest at effectively the critical angle of repose.

Thus, when a small insect, commonly an ant, blunders into the pit, its weight causes the sand to collapse below it, drawing the victim toward the center, where the larva lies in wait under a thin layer of loose sand. As soon as it is alerted by falling sand grains, the larva assists this process by vigorously flicking more sand out from the center of the pit. This undermines the pit walls and causes them to collapse toward the center. The sand that the larva now is flinging also pelts the prey with so much loose, rolling material as to prevent it from getting any foothold on the easier slopes that the initial collapse of the slope has presented. The combined effect is to bring the prey down to within grasp of the larva, which then can inject venom and digestive fluids.

Unlike the pit-digging Myrmeleontidae, vermileonid larvae do not travel round and round while digging the pit trap. Instead, they simply lie at the centre with the rear end buried, and dig their heads repeatedly into the sand, flinging it out by vigorously straightening their fore ends. Finally, they cover themselves with a thin layer of sand while lying across the bottom of the cone.

The main enemies of the larvae of either antlions or wormlions are ground-hunting birds such as hoopoes and gallinaceous birds that learn to recognise their pits and probe or scratch them from the sand. If alarmed by such activity, the wormlion larva retracts abruptly into an S-shape under the sand, and if dug out, it retains that shape, not having much option for an alternative strategy at its disposal. Actually, because its skin is coated with sand, and it is very small, it is very easy to overlook while it lies still. However, if it is sufficiently teased after being dug out, it may begin to lash about powerfully, flinging itself away with enough force to escape its tormentor. It does not, however, hook its mouthparts into its hinder end to achieve an efficient leap such as some fruit fly and carrion fly larvae do.

The 10th and 11th segments of the larva each carries a transverse row of long hooklets that it uses in anchoring itself and in shifting sand. The fifth segment has a ventral pseudopod that helps to hold prey. Not having sickle jaws like an antlion, the larva grasps prey by lashing forward and catching the victim by bending the head down to catch it between its two fang-like jaws and its pseudopod.

Like antlion larvae, vermileonid larvae are primarily found in sandy habitats, often semideserts, usually in the shelter of rocks or bushes, and they are voracious predators. The adults are slender, fragile flies, vaguely reminiscent of small crane flies. The adults generally visit flowers for nectar, but adults of some species may not feed at all. Most vermileonid species are found in the drier regions of the western parts of Africa, from the Cape to Morocco, and also in the western parts of the Iberian Peninsula, mainly in Portugal. Info from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermileonidae

Pupal stage

Adult stage 

Photos and Video at Strovolos 20/3/2017, by Michael Hadjiconstantis

Green algae - Palmophyllum crassum (Naccari, 1828) - Cyprus

Palmophyllum crassum is a species of alga.

Underwater photos  by Kostas Aristeidou

Banded Tube Anemone - Pachycerianthus maua - Cyprus

The Banded Tube Anemone Pachycerianthus maua is a nocturnal animal, so it is usually withdrawn during the daylight hours. After dark, however, is when they will push their oral disc out of their tube and extend their tentacles to feed. The aquarist can peak into the “night life” of these curious anemones by Illuminating the nighttime aquarium with a red light, and keeping movements slow.
From http://animal-world.com/Aquarium-Coral-Reefs/Banded-Tube-Anemone

Underwater photos  by Costas Constantinou

Pilot fish - Naucrates ductor (Linnaeus, 1758) - Κολαούζος - Cyprus

The pilot fish (Naucrates ductor) is a carnivorous fish of the trevally, or jackfish family, Carangidae. It is widely distributed and lives in warm or tropical open seas.

The pilot fish congregates around sharks, rays, and sea turtles, where it eats ectoparasites on, and leftovers around the host species; younger pilot fish are usually associated with jellyfish and drifting seaweeds. They are also known to follow ships, sometimes for long distances; one was found in County Cork, Ireland, and many pilot fish have been sighted on the shores of England. Their fondness for ships led the ancients to believe that they would navigate a ship to its desired course.

The pilot fish's color is between dark blue and blackish-silver, with the belly being lighter in color. The pilot fish is also known to have a temporary variation of color when excited; its dark-colored bars disappear, and its body turns silvery-white, with three broad blue patches on its back. It can be recognized by its five to seven distinctive traverse bands, which are of a much darker color than the rest of the body.[9] The pilot fish can grow up to 60–70 cm in length.

The pilot fish is edible and is said to taste good, but it is rarely available due to its erratic behavior when caught.


Pilot fish swimming with an oceanic whitetip shark
While pilot fish can be seen with all manner of sharks, they prefer accompanying the oceanic whitetip, Carcharhinus longimanus. The pilot fish's relationship with sharks is a mutualist one; the pilot fish gains protection from predators, while the shark gains freedom from parasites. It was often said by sailors that sharks and pilot fish share something like a "close companionship"; there were even tales of this fish following ships which had captured "their" shark for up to six weeks[22] and showing signs of distress in its absence.

Whatever the veracity of such reports, it is extremely rare that a shark will feed on a pilot fish, and smaller pilot fish are frequently observed swimming into sharks' mouths to clean away fragments of food from between their teeth. As Herman Melville put it,

They have nothing of harm to dread,

But liquidly glide on his ghastly flank
Or before his Gorgonian head;
Or lurk in the port of serrated teeth
In white triple tiers of glittering gates,
And there find a haven when peril 's abroad,
An asylum in jaws of the Fates![27]

These observations have led to the pilot fish's distinctive markings being copied for decals supplied as shark protection for surfboards.

There are a few possible, conflicting etymologies for the term "pilot fish". One is that seafaring people believed that pilot fish, which would appear around the bow of their ships when they were close to land, were leading (or piloting) them back to port.[29] An alternative etymology is that pilot fish were once, erroneously, thought to be piloting sharks to food, or even (as legends have it) piloting ships, whales and swimmers to safety.

In Greek mythology a sailor called Pompilos helped the nymph Okyrhoe when she was fleeing away from the god Apollo. The sailor moved the nymph from Miletus to Samos and the god punished him by making him a pilot fish.

The pilot fish is sometimes used as a metaphor or simile; "they are like the pilot fish to the shark, serving to lead him to his victim". Pilot fish are also used as a metaphor or simile for scavengers or looters which accompany a greater threat.

In the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who, the pilot fish were used in analogical terms for a robotic species who congregated around more dangerous life-forms, such as the Sycorax and the Racnoss. They appeared three times in the series; twice with David Tennant in "The Christmas Invasion" (2005) and "The Runaway Bride" (2006), and once with Matt Smith in "The Pandorica Opens" (2010).

In the Discworld novel Making Money, during a conspiracy to entrap Moist von Lipwig, Heretofore reflects on his current predicament and uncomfortable relationship with Cosmo Lavish and says "Does he think he's Vetinari? What do they call those fishes that swim alongside sharks, making themselves useful so they don't get eaten? That's me, that's what I'm doing, just hanging on, because it's much safer than letting go.

Ernest Hemingway bitterly immortalised John Dos Passos as a "pilot fish" for the wealthy in A Moveable Feast, after falling out with him over the Spanish Civil War
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilot_fish

Underwater photos  by Costas Constantinou

Sepietta sp.- Cyprus

Sepietta is a genus of bobtail squid comprising four species.

Underwater photos  by Costas Constantinou

Imperial blackfish - Schedophilus ovalis (G. Cuvier, 1833) - Βασιλικός μεδουσοφάγος - Cyprus

The imperial blackfish, Schedophilus ovalis, is a medusafish of the family Centrolophidae found in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea, at depths of between 70 and 700 m. Its length is up to 100 cm.
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_blackfish

Underwater photos  Cape Pyla, 3m deep ,25.03.2017  by Costas Constantinou

Hermit crab - Calcinus tubularis (Linnaeus, 1767) - Cyprus

Calcinus tubularis is a species of hermit crab. It is found in the Mediterranean Sea and around islands in the Atlantic Ocean, where it lives below the intertidal zone. Its carapace, eyestalks and claws are marked with numerous red spots. C. tubularis and its sister species, C. verrilli, are the only hermit crabs known to show sexual dimorphism in shell choice, with males using normal marine gastropod shells, while females use shells of gastropods in the family Vermetidae, which are attached to rocks or other hard substrates.

The genus Calcinus has its centre of diversity in the central Pacific Ocean, and only two species occur in the north-eastern Atlantic – Calcinus paradoxus and Calcinus tubularis. C. tubularis is a chiefly Mediterranean species; its range extends from Madeira in the west to Lebanon in the east, with outlying records from Madeira, the Canary Islands, Cape Verde and Ascension Island. Although it is distinctively coloured, the sedentary behaviour of C. tubularis allows epibionts to colonise its shells, providing excellent camouflage, and it can easily go unnoticed; it was first reported on the coast of the Portuguese mainland in 2011, but is thought to have been living there for a long time.

The carapace of Calcinus tubularis is bluish in colour, with many red spots, and extends forwards as a short, triangular rostrum. The eyestalks are white with similar red spotting, as is the last segment of each of the walking legs, and both the fixed and movable fingers of the claws. The colour scheme exists in a dark form and a light form, which appears to be linked to camouflage, particularly for females. C. tubularis is of "normal size" for a Calcinus species, frequently exceeding a carapace width of 3 millimetres (0.12 in)

Calcinus tubularis is a rare species, found below the intertidal zone. It is one of only two species of hermit crab (the other being the closely related C. verrilli) in which sexual dimorphism in shell use has been observed. Males inhabit gastropod shells, chiefly those of Pisania maculosa or Cerithium vulgatum, which they can move freely; females occupy the fixed tubes made by the vermetid snail Lementina arenaria.

The only parasite known to attack Calcinus tubularis is a rhizocephalan barnacle, probably of the genus Septosaccus, although it is also targeted by another barnacle, Trypetesa lampas, which is an egg predator of various hermit crabs.
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcinus_tubularis

Photos 5 mts deep,07.03.2017,Xylophagou. by Costas Constantinou

Cyclosa sierrae Simon, 1870 - Orb-weaver spider - Cyprus

Family: Araneidae

Cyclosa sierrae is a small spider with no common name. It is an orb weaver. 

Cyclosa is a spider genus in the family Araneidae. Spiders of the genus Cyclosa build relatively small orb webs with a web decoration. The web decoration in Cyclosa spiders is often linear and includes prey remains and other debris, which probably serve to camouflage the spider. 
Info from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclosa


Photos at Orkontas by George Konstantinou & Athalassa 3/4/2016, by Michael Hadjiconstantis

Bandtooth conger - Ariosoma balearicum (Delaroche, 1809) - Cyprus

The bandtooth conger (Ariosoma balearicum), also known as the Baleares conger or the Balearic conger, is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels). It was described by François Étienne Delaroche in 1809, originally under the genus Muraena. It is a subtropical, marine eel which is known from the western and eastern Atlantic and the western Indian Ocean, including North Carolina, USA; the northern Gulf of Mexico, northern South America, Canada, Portugal, Angola, the Mediterranean, and the Red Sea. It inhabits reefs and littoral shelves, and burrows into sand and mud. It dwells at a depth range of 1-732 metres, but most frequently between 20-100 m. Males can reach a maximum total length of 35 centimetres, but more commonly reach a TL of 25 cm.

The Bandtooth conger is of minor interest to fisheries
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandtooth_conger

Photo by Costas Constantinou

Το χωριό Λαζανιά - Lazanias Village - Cyprus

See also

List of cities towns and villages in Cyprus - Κατάλογος δήμων και κοινοτήτων της Κύπρου

Η Λαζανιά είναι κοινότητα της επαρχίας Λευκωσίας στη Κύπρο. Σύμφωνα με την απογραφή του 2001 έχει 33 κατοίκους.

Η ίδρυση και ονομασία του χωριού συνδέεται με την ίδρυση της Ιερά Μονή Μαχαιρά
 (1160). Στην περιοχή υπήρχαν πολλοί μικροί οικισμοι των οποίων οι κάτοικοι ζούσαν κατά φατρίες. Με πρωτοβουλία των μοναχών Ιγνατίου και Προκοπίου και έξοδα της Μονής, όλοι οι γύρω οικισμοί συνενώθηκαν και δημιουργήθηκε το χωριό. Η Λαζανιά καθώς και άλλα χωριά δόθηκαν ως προνόμιο στο νέο μοναστήρι κατά τη Δυναστεία Κομνηνών. Η Ιερά Μονή είχε προωθήσει αρκετές επενδύσεις στη περιοχή (δασική βιομηχανία, γεωργίας, κτηνοτροφίας και ελαιοτριβείων).

Οι Λουζινιανοί κατακτητές (1192 – 1489) εφάρμοσαν στο νησί το φεουδαρχικό σύστημα και κατάργησαν τα προνόμια της Μονής.Το χωριό δόθηκε σαν φέουδο σε κάποιο από τους Λουζινιανούς (Λουζινιάν). Η αντίδραση του Ορθόδοξου πληθυσμού και ιδιαίτερα της Πιτσιλιά ήταν τόσο δυναμική "που πῆραν τὸν τόπον οἱ Λαζανιάδες" ώστε οι Φράγκοι προκειμένου να καταπνίξουν την εξέγερση εκτέλεσαν 13 μοναχούς[4]. Από τη φράση: ...και πήραν τον τόπον οι Λαζανιάδες (=Λουζινιανοί) και τα γεγονότα όπως σημειώνει και ο Λεόντιος Μαχαιράς εξ ού και το όνομα Λαζανιά.
Πηγή https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%9B%CE%B1%CE%B6%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%B9%CE%AC

Lazanias (Greek: Λαζανιάς or Λαζανιά; Turkish: Lazanya) is a village in the Nicosia District of Cyprus, located southwest of Gourri.

The creation and the name of the village are naturally connected with the foundation of the

Machairas Monastery

 on 1160. The monks Ignatius and Procopius after securing imperial patronage of Manuel I Komnenos negotiated the resettlement of the various Machaira clans and with the Monastery’s expenses were merged into the existing villages. The Lazania and other villages were given as a privilege to the new Monastery during the Komnenos dynasty. Also the Monastery had promoted several investments in the area (forest industry, agriculture, farming and mills).

During (1192-1489) the Lusignans implemented the feudal system to the island and abolished the privileges of the monastery. The village was given as a fief to some Lusignan (in Greek: Cypriot dilect Lazania). The reaction of the Orthodox population had assumed such proportions that the Franks to suppress the rebellion executed 13 monks.[3] Based on the events that took place and the phrase “the Lazanias (= Lusignan)” took this place, hence the name of the Lazania village came to existence
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazanias

Photo 16/12/2013 by George Konstantinou

Το βουνίν της Ρκάς στο Τσέρι - Πέρα Ορεινής

«Βουνί της ρκάς»: Μικρός Λόφος στην περιοχή Αλυκός με πολύ χαρακτηριστικό σχήμα. Λέγεται, σύμφωνα με τη λαϊκή παράδοση, πως ήταν σωρός σιταριού (συνάδει με την ευφορία της περιοχής) που άνηκε σε τσιγκούνα γριά (ρκά). Όταν ο Κύριος Ημών Ιησού Χριστός περνούσε από την περιοχή και της ζήτησε λίγο σιτάρι εκείνη αρνήθηκε. Γι’ αυτό ο Κύριος την καταράστηκε μεταμορφώνοντας το σιτάρι σε χώμα. Στην κορυφή του λόφου διακρίνεται το κόσκινο της γριάς αναποδογυρισμένο
Πηγή http://www.peraorinis.org/gr/a-topwnymia-434

Photos 1/3/2017 by George Konstantinou