CYPRUS FLORA AND FAUNA

JEWEL BEETLE Anthaxia paphia Anthaxia (Cratomerus) paphia Novak &Makris, 2002, is a small beetle with length 6-8mm. It belongs to the family Buprestidae , which are commonly known as jewel beetles. Anhaxia paphia is a rare and endemic species of Cyprus, found in a few localities on Troodos Mountains. It has a dark greenmetallic colour with copper-coloured reflections. It was discovered in 1999 and was given the name paphia as it was first found in the Paphos Forest. Also, Paphia is one of the names of Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, who according to Greekmythology rose from the foamof sea at Paphos coast. GREEN TIGER BEETLE Cicindela campestris cyprensis Cicindela campestris (Linnaeus, 1758) is a beetle in the Carabidae family, i.e., ground beetles. It’s commonly known as the green tiger beetle and it is widespread in Europe and Asia. In Cyprus we find the endemic subspecies Cicindela campestris cyprensis (Hlisnikowsky, 1929). Adults are typically 12–15millimetres long. They are sun-loving beetles and they live in places with dry soils, between May and October. They run very fast on their long legs and aremost often seen on bare ground. Apart from running on ground, they can also fly fast, making a loud buzzing noise.