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NOTE (04 Jan 2010): new Web URL http://www.cyprusbutterflies.co.uk

Books

The Butterflies of Cyprus by Christodoulos Makris. 2003. Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation, Nicosia (In English).

This extensively illustrated book includes colour photographs of butterflies in natural surroundings, life-size photographs of set specimens and distribution maps from the Cyprus Butterfly Recording Scheme.  It is in large scale format and is not a field guide. Extracts from a couple of reviews are reproduced below.

“Given the number and lavish quality of the photographic plates in this work one could almost be forgiven for regarding it, at least on first glance, as a coffee-table publication.  However, there is also a scientific content - and one that is of equally high content.”  Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var., Vol 115 part 6: 295-296.

Butterflies of Cyprus 1998 (Records of a year’s sightings) by Eddie John. 2000.   Amateur Entomologists’ Society, Pamphlet No. 15.

This 46-page booklet lists all species known to the author at the time of his stay in Cyprus in 1997-1998, together with notes and distribution maps on each of the species. A phenology chart tracking weekly sightings is also provided.

Bibliography

John, E. 2000. Butterflies of Cyprus 1998 (Records of a year’s sightings). Bull. Amat. Ent. Soc., Pamphlet No. 15:46 pp.

^__________ 2001. Autumn Butterfly records from Cyprus, 2000. Bull. amat. Ent. Soc., Vol. 60, No. 436: 84-96.

^__________ 2001. Migration of Vanessa cardui (L.) (Lep.: Nymphalidae) through Cyprus, March 2001. Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var. 113: 269-281.

^__________ 2002. Further thoughts on a migration of the Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lep.: Nymphalidae) across Cyprus, March 2001. 12^th Report of the Huntingdonshire Moth and Butterfly Group (2001), 27-29.

^__________ 2003. Cyprus – Risk assessment to Butterfly Larvae from the aerial spraying    (Mid-Oct – end December) of Bacillus thuringiensis in the control of the Pine Processionary Moth Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775). 13th Annual Report of the Huntingdonshire Moth and Butterfly Group        (2002), 28-36.

^__________ 2003: Cyprus. In: van Swaay, C. & Warren, M. (eds): Prime Butterfly Areas in Europe: 150-151. Council of Europe. Wageningen.

^__________ 2005. Cyprus: a brief overview of its Butterflies and an introduction to the island’s Butterfly Recording Scheme. Antenna, Vol 29:33-37.

^__________ 2005. ‘Where to look for Butterflies’. Article in MoD’s brochure ‘Searching for Wilderness’, published by the Western Sovereign Base Area, (Akrotiri) Cyprus.

^__________ 2007.  Butterflies of Cyprus:  an update to the AES booklet (John 2000) with  additional comments on endemism and threatened species, plus changes to the island’s butterfly checklist.  Bulletin of the Amateur Entomologists’ Society 66, 140-150.

^__________ 2007. Butterfly Recording in Cyprus. Butterfly (The Magazine of Butterfly Conservation, UK) Issue 96, Autumn 2007.

John, E. & Makris, C. 2001. Libythea celtis (Laicharting 1782) (Lepidoptera: Libytheidae): Presence of a Breeding Colony in the Troodos Mountains,      Cyprus. Entomologist’s Gaz. 52: 173-180.

John, E. & Parker, R. 2002. Dispersal of Hipparchia cypriensis (Holik, 1949) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Satyridae) in Cyprus, with notes on its Ecology  and Life-history. Entomologist’s Gaz. 53: 3-18.

John, E. & Parker, R. 2003. The Butterfly Year in Cyprus.  Sanctuary, Number 32 (Ministry of Defence Conservation Magazine).

John, E., Coutsis, J. G. & Makris, C.  2006. A review of records for Colias erate (Esper, [1805]) (Lep.: Papilionoidea Pieridae) in Cyprus: were they all yellow forms of Colias croceus (Geoffroy, 1785)?  Entomologist’s Gaz. 57: 3-12.

John, E., Cottle, N., McArthur, A. & Makris, C. 2008. Eastern Mediterranean migrations of the Small White Pieris rapae (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera:Pieridae): observations from Cyprus 2001 and 2007.Entomologist’s Gaz. 59: 71-78.

John, E., Russell, P. R., Christofides, Y. & Hall, D. 2008. Notes on the life history, ecology and distribution of Pontia chloridice (Hübner, 1808) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), and a first record of Hyposoter ebenitor (Aubert, 1972) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) in Cyprus. Entomologist’s Gaz. 59: 209-226..

Manil, L. 1990. Les Rhopalocères de Chypre. Linneana Belgica XII(8): 313-391.

Makris, C. 2003. Butterflies of Cyprus. Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation, Nicosia.

Parker, R. 1983. The Butterflies of Cyprus. Entomologist’s Gaz. 34:17-53.

Parker, R. & John, E. 2003. Fight behaviour of the Cyprus Grayling, Hipparchia cypriensis in the Troodos Mountains.  Bull. amat. Ent. Soc., Vol. 62, No. 446: 27-30.

Tennent, W. J. 1985. Some Records of Spring Butterflies in Cyprus in 1984. Entomologist’s Gaz. 36:105-109.

Wakeham-Dawson, A., Parker, R., John, E. & Dennis, R. L. H. 2003. Comparison of the male genitalia and androconia of Pseudochazara anthelea acamanthis (Rebel, 1916) from Cyprus, Pseudochazara anthelea anthelea (Hübner, [1924]) from mainland Turkey and Pseudochazara anthelea amalthea (Frivaldsky, 1845) from mainland Greece (Nymphalidae, Satyrinae). Nota lepid. 25 (4), 251-263.

John, E. & Merit, X. 2008. Chilades galba (Lederer, 1855) and Aporia crataegi (Linnaeus, 1758): significant contributions to the Cyprus Butterfly Recording Scheme, April / May 2008. Atalanta 39. Band, Heft 1-4: 165-171

Websites

Please refer to the website ‘Butterflies of Cyprus’ for further details: http://www.cyprusbutterflies.co.uk

The aims of the website are:

Holidays

There are no known, organized butterfly tours as species’ numbers are too few.  However, The Travelling Naturalist Wildlife Holidays visit Cyprus each spring and note butterfly sightings in addition to their prime interest - “Birds and Flowers on Aphrodite's Isle.”  See website at http://www.naturalist.co.uk/index.htm .  

Sites & Species

Although a relatively large island (9253 km²) the location of Cyprus on the crossroads of Europe and Asia, 70 km from the nearest mainland country (Southern Turkey) and with a typically arid eastern Mediterranean summer climate, combine to restrict the number of confirmed butterfly species to 52 (reduced from 53 in Makris 2003 - see John et al. 2006), although not all are resident.

Nevertheless, the island is relatively rich in endemics, which represent nearly 10% of the island’s butterfly fauna.  There are three endemic species:

Cyprus Grayling                                    Cyprus Meadow Brown                           Paphos Blue 

(Hipparchia cypriensis)                        (Maniola cypricola)                                  (Glaucopsyche paphos)

© Alison McArthur                                © Eddie John                                              © Don Wilks

and two endemic subspecies:

Eastern Rock Grayling (Hipparchia syriaca cypriaca)               The Hermit (Chazara briseis larnacana)

© Christodoulos Makris                                                                © Alison McArthur

Phenology

No fewer than 14 species have been recorded in all months of the year, with 16 species possible in January and 20 in December.  However, the key months to visit are May and June, with 49 (94% of total number recorded) and 48 (92%) species recorded respectively (CBRS data). Spring weather in Cyprus can be unpredictable – heavy rain may occur both in coastal and mountainous areas (as in 2007) or there may be so little rain that the countryside becomes parched very early in the year, as was experienced in 2008.

Where to see butterflies in Cyprus

While some species are confined to lowland areas (e.g. Little Tiger Blue (Tarucus balkanicus), Small Desert Blue (Chilades galba) and Millet Skipper (Pelopidas thrax)) others may only be encountered at higher altitudes (e.g. Southern White Admiral (Limenitis reducta), White-banded Grayling (Pseudochazara anthelea) and Lattice Brown (Kirinia roxelana)).

Prime sites are generally to be found at the intermediate to higher altitudes of the Troodos and Pentadaktylos (Kyrenia) Mountain ranges and in lowland areas in the vicinity of water.

The absence of records of Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi), Purple Hairstreak (Neozephyrus quercus) and Nettle-tree Butterfly (Libythea celtis) from northern Cyprus seems to indicate the presence of a greater number of species in the higher mountains of the Troodos Mountain range (Mount Olympos 1951 m) in the south of the island. However, it should also be recognized that the Pentadaktylos Mountain range (highest peak Kyparissovouno 1024 m), along with the remainder of the north may not be as well researched as the Troodos range in south of the island. The Pentadaktylos Mountains are shown on the map running parallel to the northern coastline of the island. The geology of the two described mountain ranges are dissimilar, perhaps also contributing to the absence in the north of species such as Small Bath White (Pontia chloridice) (John et al., 2008). 

Cyprus Butterfly Recording Scheme

At the time of writing, the CBRS has records from 125 contributors. These comprise published records and unpublished data from visiting and resident lepidopterists, some of whom report their sightings each month. Feedback to recorders, in the form of a monthly phenology chart, together with comments on the month’s sightings, is sent to key recorders each month.

The recording system is slightly hindered by the absence of commercially available maps showing UTM 5 or 10 km squares and appeals to the Cyprus Tourism Organisation for assistance have met with only partial success. Potential recorders are therefore sent an A4 computer-drawn copy of a ‘map’ which displays key towns/villages/landmarks in order to help with the placement of sightings. Recorders are encouraged to report sightings within a 5 km square, although 10 km distribution maps are also maintained. An enlarged section of the map is shown below.

The system is not automated, as no commercially available recording software is known for Cyprus. However, the scrutiny afforded every record ensures that potential errors of identification (or sightings from unlikely locations) are correctly interpreted before entries are added to the distribution maps. Anyone wishing to contribute records - either holiday records or on a routine basis - is requested to contact Eddie at the email address given above. 

© Eddie John

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Last modified: January 04, 2010