Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 32-34. (2014)
Zoology
Petru-Vasile ISTRATE the humus layer formed under the old tree trunks. In the higher mountain areas, where the Finns brutia forests are dominating, the too early period, characterized by a colder climate, prevented us from finding any cetoniinae. Arboreal traps were installed for Cetoniscbema speciosa ssp. marchei in the Troodos Mountains, at an altitude of 760 m, but the too little time we had for inspecting them or the time of the year too early for their observation and collection has not given satisfactory results. The killing of alive insects was made in acetic ether and their safe keeping in 70% alcohol. The material used for this study is deposited in the private collection of the author. Results and discussions Entomological material was collected belonging to 4 species of Cetoniinae, which can be found in various ecosystems in the Isle of Cyprus, in spring. Netocia ajflicta (Gory & Percheron, 1833) is a medium-size cetoniid, characterized by dull dark plum-like (pruineux) upper body, by a large mesosternal process and by rough, dense punctuation. Numerous types of color, from dark green to copper or dull black, have been described in the literature. The specimens collected by us are characterized by a large body: the largest specimen was 24.5 mm long/14.2 mm wide, the medium-size one was 22.2 mm long/13.3mm wide, and the smallest one 22.1 mm long/11.8 mm wide. Dull black colour or slightly shiny on the upper side or shiny black or bluish colour on the lower part are typical with the species (Fig. 1 & 2). The specimens taken for comparison, namely those from the Dalyan area, in northeastern Anatolia, are characterized by black-greenish colour on the upper side, small white spots on the backside of the elytra and pygidia, shiny dark green on the bottom (Fig 3 & 4), and the larger body is 25.4 mm long/l4.7mm wide, the medium-size one 22.5 mm long/13 2 mm wide, and the smallest one 21.6 mm long/12.6 mm wide. Specimens from Dalyan were also collected at lower altitudes, close to the seashore ecosystems. The specimens belong to the titea variation [5]. The specimens we have collected recently in northwestern Jordan are characterized by bluish black color on the dorsal side of the body, usually without any white spots, and with a dark indigo blue gloss on the ventral side Fig. 5 & 6) and their body size is comparable to the size of the specimens we found in Cyprus. Netocia ajflicta is a common species of cetoniinae, very common in Anatolia and the Levant, and may even be abundant on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in areas where trees are absent or very rare. It is spread from mainland Greece, through Peloponnese and Attica, throughout all the islands of the Aegean. Along the Mediterranean coast, in the Levant, it reaches down to Palestine, East Jordan, Gaza strip and even to Mount Sinai (from the monastery of Saint Catherin). It was reported in some areas of the Arabian Peninsula (area of Taif), Yemen. [5] Larvae develop with species of Cirsium, Echinops and Onopordon, being more frequent in the lowlands close to the seashore. Adults appear in spring, from April to July and are found on the stems of plants, feeding on the juice dripping from the wounds caused by insects (Fig. 7). About 40 specimens were collected in Paphos, Polis and the Akamas peninsula. Tropinota (Epicometis) hirta ssp. suturalis (Reitter, 1913), is a small cetoniid. Tropinota hirta ssp. suturalis is widespread in Anatolia, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and the Mediterranean islands, close to Anatolia and the Caucasus. The larvae develop in rotting vegetable compost on the soil and adults occur in the months of April and May, it being a springtime species. It occurs on the Rosaceae inflorescences 132
