Thursday, July 7, 2011

Fishes of Cyprus


A set of four stamps were issued by Cyprus Post on 6.9.1993 to showcase the fishes abundant in the seas around the Island. I am displaying here two of these fish species on Maxicards sent to me by Merja. The two fish species are the Red Scorpion shown on the top card, and the Painted Comber on the card below.
The Red Scorpion grows to about 60cm in length. It lives on the sea bed, sitting motionless on the bottom, well camouflaged. It feeds mainly on molluscs, small fish and other crustaceans. Dorsal spines on the gill are poisonous. Cases of poisoning can be treated with hot water or compresses. These fish are edible and are used in fish soup.
The Painted Comber grows to only 35cm in length, and lives in shallow rocky areas. It is a hermaphrodite which reproduces in summer (mainly). It is an active predator feeding on small fish, molluscs and crustacea. It is also edible. Merja sent me these two cards.

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