The Naturalist on Chios, Greece.
Mike Taylor , Liverpool Museum.
Scorpions and Spiders on Chios
Many other interesting animals are to be found on Chios by the curious naturalist including Yellow Scorpion, Mesobuthus gibbosus, to be found throughout the island but most readily found in the spring under stones in the gravelly areas at the back of Managros Beach. This kind of place also holds a few Black Widow Spiders for example both at Managros and at Komi.
One family of Spiders certain to come to the attention of the botanist are the Crab Spiders. These specialise in ambushing insects nectaring on many different species of wildflowers. They are masters of disguise and, like the Chameleon, seem to match perfectly with the colours of their chosen flower.
I was recently photographing some insects on Managros Beach when I found a Crab Spider on one of the Yellow Poppies, Glaucium flavum, it had just siezed a nectaring Bee, Andrena thoracica. The colour of the spider was an exact match with the yellow of the Poppy flower. Two Sun Spiders, Galeodes graeca, were taken in a Malaise trap in the old clay pits at Keramia, Thimiana in May 2003. These strange creatures appear to have ten legs, however the front pair have actually developed from their facial labia ( lips ).
Home - Map of Chios - Introduction - Birds on Chios - Wildflowers on Chios - Insects on Chios - Butterflies and Moths - Bees, Wasps and Ants - Flies - Snakeflies, Antlions and Lacewings - Dragonflies - Beetles - Grasshoppers and Crickets - Scorpions and Spiders on Chios - Mammals on Chios - Frogs and Toads on Chios - Lizards and Snakes on Chios - Armadillos, Terrapins and Tortoises on Chios - Marine Fish on Chios - Photographs - Acknowledgements |