Tourism & Biodiversity

The 27th of September is World Tourism Day. The Malta Tourism Authority is celebrating this year's theme - "Tourism & Biodiversity" - by issuing a set of four stickers which feature typical organisms of the Maltese Islands.

Understandably, the variety of flora and fauna pictured is diverse and includes a plant, two invertebrates, and two vertebrates. These are, respectively:

1. Capparis orientalis Veillard (noted on the sticker under the synonym Capparis spinosa L.);
2. Papilio machaon melitensis Eller, 1936 (an endemic butterfly);
3. Echinaster sepositus sepositus (Retzius, 1783);
4. Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe, 1834) (noted on the sticker under the synonym Epinephelus guaza L., 1758);
5. and the Maltese national bird Monticola solitarius L., 1758.

Please click on image for larger version!

Sex! Murder! Cannibalism!

It looks like the blurb for some low-budget 70's horror flick, but such storylines are relatively commonplace in the arthropod world. Argiope lobata Pallas, 1772 is a spider displaying extreme sexual dimorphism - the small male is seldom seen, but the female is one of the largest arachnids found in the Maltese Islands.

As in some other arthropods of the sexually dimorphic ilk (e.g. praying mantises and crabs), the hapless male is frequently cannibalized by the female (seen in the pictures above) following mating. It is mainly seen in humid and shaded habitats suspended head downwards from its very strong web, patiently waiting for prey.

A hardy egg sac like the one below is subsequently constructed nearing the end of the summery season. Hundreds of small spiders hatch and spend the winter inside this sac, emerging in spring.

The images in this post come courtesy of Mr. David Dandria and Mr. Patrick Tabone.

New section

The picture on the right hand column of this blog labelled 'On S. E. Asian gastropods' now leads to a new page, where I will be posting my work on snails from the region of South-East Asia.

Updates will also be listed accordingly on this main blog section.

Amphidromus sekincauensis Dharma, 2007 - South Sumatra