Today 88 valid species and
subspecies of Jewel Beetles are known from Cyprus. Over 40% of them are endemic
to this island. - One good reason to make an expedition. During an one week
collecting trip to the greek side of Cyprus many species of Buprestidae were
documented which are shown in the following.
We started our trip in
Larnaca. Not far away from the airport the coastal regions of Cyprus are very
dry and covered with bushland.
These unspecified
thistles (Carduoideae) with a maximum hight of 2 meters are mostly hostplants
for some kinds of Jewel Beetles, especially of the genus Meliboeus...
... as for Meliboeus
oliveri Niehuis, 2014.
Arrived into hilly
regions we found this nice place to collect.
On the flowers of yellow
Compositae Anthaxia diadema (Fischer von Waldheim, 1824) was present.
In the late afternoon of
our first day on Cyprus we arrived to the sorroundings of the Stavrovouni
monastery. Prunus dulcis L., one of
the most common fruittrees on Cyprus is hostplant for many species of Jewel
Beetles.
For example Agrilus
margotanae Novak, 2001 on the leaves of their hostplant, which is
closely related to Agrilus roscidus Kiesenwetter, 1857.
Galbella
felix (Marseul, 1866). This 3-5 mm small polyphageous species could be especially found in
the macchia.
Spiny Lizard - Stellagama stellio ssp. cypriaca (Daan, 1967).
Before sunset we found this
interesting thistle: Ptilostemon chamaepeuce v. cyprius Greuter.
It is the hostplant of Meliboeus makrisi Mühle & Brandl, 2009. So far known this species is endemic to Cyprus.
Glaucopsyche cf. paphos
Chapman, 1920 (Lycaenidae) - Flew around Genista sp.
The next day we were at an altitude of 650 meters as the day before within the district of Larnaca. We collected in a typical Pine forest with Pinus halepensis Mill., Cistus sp., Pistacia terebinthus L. etc.
One species of
Buprestidae whose larva living in Pinus
sp. is Acmaeodera quadrifaria Baudi di Selve, 1870. This specimen
visited a pink flower of Cistus sp.
Acmaeoderella farinosa
(Reiche & Saulcy, 1856) on a white Umbelliferae.
Acmaeoderella flavofasciata ssp. placida (Baudi di Selve, 1870).
Another common species
is Anthaxia praeclara Mannerheim, 1837.
In the late afternoon of
the second day we found a dry and hot place with Pinus halepensis Mill.
The Jewel Beetle Anthaxia
laticeps ssp. navratili Bílý,
1984 swarmed around sunlit twigs of Pinus
halepensis Mill.
Chalcophora detrita ssp. margotana Novak, 2002.
We found this valley
with an beautiful orchard on the third day of our journey. On Prunus dulcis L. we collected nice
species of Jewel Beetles. Some of them are shown by the following fotos.
Anthaxia gottwaldi Brandl
& Mühle, 2008 on the leaves of Prunus
dulcis L.
Sphenoptera oertzeni
Jakovlev, 1887.
We found Anthaxia
nupta ssp. confinata Magnani,
1995 on ground vegetation. Hostplants should be Prunus dulcis L. and Quercus
sp.
Cuckoo wasp (Chrysis sp.) on white Umbelliferae.
And another common Jewel
Beetle: Acmaeoderella gibbulosa (Ménétriés, 1832).
At day four we arrived
to the Troodos Mountain up to an altitude of 1700 meters. The landscape is
covered with sparse vegatation and with trees of Pinus nigra Arn. and Juniperus
sp.
Only a few species of
Buprestidae could be found. One of them is the endemic Anthaxia griseocuprea
Kiesenwetter, 1857. Its hostplants are Pinus
halepensis Mill. and Pinus nigra
Arn.
One more endemic species: Anthaxia aureoviridis Svoboda, 1994, female.
Paphos forest to the
west of the Troodos Mountain. Trees like Pinus
halepensis Mill., Quercus alnifolia
Poech and Acer sp. dominate the landscape.
We found colourful Jewel
Beetles like Acmaeodera ottomana ssp. confluens Baudi di Selve, 1870...
... and Anthaxia brevis
Gory & Laporte, 1839.
In fact a lot of the
flower visiting Jewel Beetles sitting on the pink flowers of Cistus sp.
So we found the endemic Anthaxia
cypraea Abeille de Perrin, 1900...
... and the endemic Anthaxia
anadyomene Bílý & Kubáň, 2004.
Comparison between males of Anthaxia anadyomene Bílý & Kubáň, 2004 and Anthaxia cypraea Abeille de Perrin, 1900.
At penultimate day befor
leaving the island we met some friends from Vienna and made a trip together to
the
landscape in south of the Troodos Mountain. Again we found a nice orchard.
Perotis susannae
(Novak, 1983) swarmed around Prunus dulcis L.
Acmaeodera quadrizonata
Abeille de Perrin, 1891 on yellow Compositae.
Acmaeodera flavolineata ssp. cypricola Volkovitsh, 1983 on a flower of Cistus sp.
Macchia!
Acmaeodera saxicola ssp. bijuga Marseul, 1865, one of the commonest Buprestidae on this trip.
Band-winged grasshopper nymph - Oedipoda sp. (Oedipodinae).
Acmaeoderella chrysanthemi
(Chevrolat, 1854). Was determinated after preparation.
Libelloides sp. (Ascalaphidae).
The last day was cloudy.
By investigation of bushes of Pistacia terebinthus L. some interesting species
of Jewel Beetles could be found.
Chrysobothris
cypria Magnani, 1993, endemic cyprian species living polyphageous in dry branches of
different kind of wood in the macchia.