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Introduction
I am currently an Instructor of Invertebrate Biology at the Department of Biology, Section of Zoology - Marine Biology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. My research is mainly targeting Systematics (Taxonomy), Ecology and Entomology.
For more than a decade, I have also been actively involved in the teaching of undergraduate and graduate students of the Department in subjects not only strictly adhering to my expertise, but spanning across an array of zoological subjects.
Current institution
Publications
Publications (62)
Specimens deposited in Natural History Museum collections are vital for the study of biodiversity, human drivers of biodiversity loss, and other environmental and socioeconomic problems. Despite recent advances in filling our knowledge gaps regarding the myrmecofauna of Cyprus, the island’s biodiversity is considered to be under-sampled. In this ar...
The number of alien species continues to climb uninterrupted with a proportion of them becoming invasive, impacting native biodiversity and socioeconomic parameters. Many alien species are plants, transported outside their native range, sometimes alongside their associated insects hitching a ride to new destinations. Ficus microcarpa L. (Moraceae)...
Ants are an important arthropod group due to their involvement in ecological processes amongst others as ecosystem engineers or predators, but some invasive alien species are also implicated in detrimental environmental, economic and human health effects. Despite recent advancements, the ant biodiversity of Cyprus is still in need of further resear...
With an area of 1,633 km2 and approximately 400 km of coastline, Lesvos is the third-largest Greek island and the eighth-largest in the Mediterranean. Situated in the northeastern part of the Aegean archipelago and bordering Turkey, Lesvos has been known to host 59 ant species and morphospecies. In this article, we present a list of 84 ant species...
Situated in the Eastern Mediterranean, the island of Cyprus is a biodiversity hotspot hosting an important number of endemic species. In recent years, its myrmecofauna has been increasingly enriched with the detection of both new alien and native species as well as the description of new endemic taxa. Nevertheless, earlier reports of dubious taxa r...
We present the first faunal analysis of the ants (Formicidae) of the Kingdom of Bahrain (Bahrain), an island nation in the Arabian Gulf. We document a total of 35 ant species based on published, unpublished and new specimen records, including 26 presumed native species and nine non-native tramp species. The native fauna was predominantly of Palaear...
Biodiversity data platforms including databases, websites and data repositories underpin conservation efforts by collecting spatiotemporal data of discovered native and alien species and maps of their distributions. Chalcid wasps (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea) are one of the most diverse insect groups estimated to include half a million species. Being...
Climate change is a major threat to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, which can cause significant harm to its plant and animal species. We predicted the habitat distribution of Cataglyphis nodus (Brullé, 1833) in MENA using MaxEnt models under current and future climate conditions. Our analysis indicates that the cooler regions of the...
Lyciasalamandra species, like most amphibians, secrete a wide array of compounds from their granular and mucous skin glands, including the internally synthesized samandarine alkaloids, making their skin a complex organ performing a variety of functions. Lyciasalamandra helverseni and L. luschani basoglui are insular endemics of the Dodecanese islan...
Only five species of the genus Temnothorax Mayr, 1861 have been reported from Cyprus, hitherto. Based on material surveys, the presence of 12 species is reported. Eight of them are described as new to science: T. akrotiriensis n. sp., T. apolloni n. sp., T. cerastarum n. sp., T. evagorae n. sp., T. hippomenesi n. sp., T. kykkos n. sp., T. nikoklesi...
We report for the first time the occurrence of the alien ant Cardiocondyla obscurior Wheeler, 1929 on the Greek island of Crete. Cardiocondyla obscurior is one of many congeneric taxa with worldwide success as tramp species, having attained a cosmopolitan distribution while having Indomalayan origins. It was first detected in Europe in 1999, and si...
In mountainous Greece, cultural landscapes exhibit distinctive features, such as scattered trees marking village boundaries and sacred forests serving as locally adapted conservation systems. These sacred landscapes play a crucial role in protecting villages from natural hazards and providing essential resources for the community. The unique status...
Messor is a diverse genus of Myrmicinae with 168 extant species and subspecies. In the Mediterranean, some of its taxa historically were classified as members of the Messor instabilis group (sensu Santschi), of which 19 are known from the eastern Mediterranean. Here, the Messor semirufus complex of the Balkan Peninsula that assembles a distinct sub...
Ant occurrences in Greece and Cyprus based on published records.
Biological invasions are considered a major driver of biodiversity loss, particularly on islands. Invasive alien ants can often have severe consequences on native biodiversity. Here, we review published and new information on alien ant species found on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, a biodiversity hotspot. Our checklist of alien ants of Cyprus...
Sixteen species of the genus Camponotus have been reported from Cyprus. Nevertheless, material sampling on the island confirms the presence of 10 species. Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) troodosensis sp. nov. is described as a new species to science, collected from low and mid altitudes in pine forests of the Troodos mountain range. Camponotus (Myrmamblys...
Biological invasions represent one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss with adverse impacts on human societies, economies and public health. More than 500 ant species have been transported outside their native range with the help of humans, while the majority of them have managed to establish viable populations in the wild. Nevertheless, data...
Nine species of the genus Messor Forel have been reported from Cyprus to date. However, based on our samples and examined type material we confirm the presence of only three species on the island. Messor bucephalus sp. nov. is described as a new species to science, while M. orientalis Emery and M. syriacus Tohmé are redescribed based on the materia...
Tetramorium Mayr, 1855 is a worldwide distributed and hyperdiverse ant genus consisting of almost 600 taxa manifesting various life history strategies. Species of the Tetramorium inquilinum species-group represents one of the most extreme forms of parasitism and consist of degenerate workerless social parasites of several Tetramorium species. So fa...
The comprehensive survey of the ant fauna conducted in Cyprus revealed that the island is inhabited by two species of the genus Cataglyphis Förster, 1850. Both species are endemic and are described as new to science. Cataglyphis chionistrae n. sp., a member of the C. cursor species complex, occurs only in the high montane pine forest of Mt. Chionis...
A dead individual of Metamasius hemipterus (Linnaeus, 1758) was collected by a citizen scientist in Athens, Greece from a hand of imported bananas. The equatorial origin of the fruit as well as the extensive growth of a fungus on the specimen, both suggest an unintentional introduction as a contaminant. Nevertheless, this record highlights the valu...
The Chinese banyan, Ficus microcarpa is an ornamental fig tree, widely planted throughout Southern Greece. Native to Asian – Australasian regions, it can be found in plazas, parks, roadsides as well as private gardens. Along with its host, various insect species have managed to follow and establish themselves outside of their native range. In Rhode...
Native to the Neotropics, Wasmannia auropunctata (Roger, 1863) has been unintentionally introduced around the world, heavily impacting native ant biodiversity, societies, and economies as well as human and animal health due to its potentially dangerous stings. Herein we report on the first record of W. auropunctata in Cyprus. Specimens were collect...
Invertebrates constitute the majority of animal species and are critical for ecosystem functioning and services. Nonetheless, global invertebrate biodiversity patterns and their congruences with vertebrates remain largely unknown. We resolve the first high-resolution (~20-km) global diversity map for a major invertebrate clade, ants, using biodiver...
The Nearctic Sceliphron caementarium (Drury, 1773) is widely distributed in the Western Palearctic and is spreading to new territories. Despite the large quantities of data on citizen-science platforms, these records have been mostly overlooked. In this publication, the first records of S. caementarium from six Eastern European and Balkan countries...
International trade and globalization have led to the continual accidental introduction
of organisms beyond their natural range of distribution. At the same time, the
increasing needs for food coverage on a global scale demand the intentional
introduction of organisms in order to optimize food production. These often include
several species of para...
Invasive alien species have been increasingly acknowledged as a major threat to native
biodiversity and ecosystem services, while their adverse impacts expand to human health, society and the economy on a global scale. Insects represent one of the most numerous alien organismic groups, accounting for about one fifth of their total number. In Greec...
Alientoma – a compound word deriving from “alien” and the Greek word “entoma" meaning insects – aims to create a dynamic checklist and a constantly-updated data-base of these organisms in Greece, where a large number of non-native insect species is already present.
Alien invasive species not only have adverse environmental impacts, they may also pose socioeconomic and human health threats. The increase in detected non-native (alien) and cryptogenic species, followed by the necessity for up-to-date scientific information on biological invasions, prompted a thorough literature investigation on the non-native en...
Although the history of entomological research in Greece spans to more than 2400 years, entomological collecting started about 200 years ago, while established entomological collections were registered about 20 years later. This paper presents the history of these collections giving information on their current status, provides information on the l...
Different collection methods will be used to collect specimens of ants from around the city of Al Ain, UAE. Specimens will be curated and identified.
The first records of mutilid wasps from Greece were recorded during the first scientific expedition in Greece in 1833. It was long after that, when the first physical specimens were collected, curated and deposited in an entomological (then natural history) collection; currently named the Zoological Museum of the University of Athens (ZMUA). The En...
Fifteen invasive ant species from Greece and Cyprus are recorded. Their biology and habitat preferences in eastern Mediterranean Region are discussed. Historical and non-published records of all listed species are summarized. Tetramorium bicarinatum is recorded for the first time from Greece while Paratrechina longicornis and Pheidole indica are ne...
In the frame of the activities of the LIFE11 NAT/GR/1014 ForOpenForests, some water bodies occurring in the "Ethnikos Drymos Oitis” (GR2440004) and “Oros Kallidromo” (GR2440006) (Sterea Ellada) were investigated with the aim of providing a first census of the composition and diversity of their crustacean fauna. Overall, the sampling of 15 water bod...
Overview
Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens together with Biosfaira NGO Greece, Crispus NGO Sibiu Romania and GOlden JAckal Informal study Group Europe (GOJAGE) organized the Second International Symposium on jackals and related species, 2IJS.
The aim of the meeting was to create a fertile ground for productive d...
The Aegean archipelago is a typical archipelago of continental islands which stands at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa. Herein we present one of the few global studies of bioregionalization, i.e., the process of identifying, delimiting and naming biogeographical regions, based on eight animal taxa, namely ants (Formicidae), land birds, re...
Crayfish are charismatic creatures of high interest to humans, among others playing key roles in freshwater ecosystems. Considering the significance of indigenous crayfish species (ICS) as well as the risks posed by non-indigenous crayfish species (NICS) that may dissemite a crayfish plague pathogen Aphanomyces astaci, astacological research has ad...
The aim of this paper is to create a catalog for the Cypriot ant fauna, as well as its’ biogeographical analysis. The ants studied mainly came from pitfall traps in different habitats, mainly in the areas of Lemesos and Pafos.
For Lemesos area, 41 different species belonging to 14 genera and 3 subfamilies were identified. Camponotus sanctus Forel w...
Two individuals of the locally non-indigenous crayfish species Astacus leptodactylus (sensu lato) were collected by trapping in Lake Pamvotida (Region of Epirus, Greece). This is the first record of the species from the southwestern Balkans and particularly from the Ionian biogeographic area. It suggests that there has been a significant human-medi...
Several ant species (Formicidae: Hymenoptera) have developed a rather unique and in some cases even obligatory symbiotic relationship with trees, that use them either as protection or as food resource. Trees within the Natural Sacred Sites (chapels and sacred forests) of Epirus demonstrate a valuable and integral piece of natural wealth and cultura...
In a recent issue of Systematic Entomology, Ward et al. (2015) presented a new variant of the phylogeny of the huge and extremely diverse ant clade Myrmicinae. Their paper is a valuable contribution to understand the formation of major phylogenetic clades against a credibly evaluated time scale. The intention of our opinion paper is not to criticiz...
Andros is an island in the Greek Aegean archipelago and it is the northernmost island of the Cyclades complex. It is also, in close proximity to the Greek mainland (aprx. 50km). There is a variety of habitats in Andros, which are available to host plenty of ant species. However, little is known about the composition of Andros ant fauna. The aim of...
We discuss the etymology and proper use of the term "myrmecology". According to the sensu stricto etymology of the word the term is inapt. We provide the veracious orthography based on modern Greek language Romanization. Nevertheless, as it has been the case with other biological terms and species designation etymologies, we remain by the use of th...
The impact of harvester ants on typical Mediterranean habitats has been well documented, but their full range of provisions during their main foraging period has been acknowledged only by field notes, personal observations and limited recordings. Harvester ants are known to utilize other types of foodstuff such as other-than-seed plant materials, i...
The myrmecofauna of Greece is one of the most diverse in the Mediterranean area, but little is
known about its distribution across the many islands of the Greek archipelago. Recent work on the
ant fauna of Greece has provided a general taxonomic framework useful for exploring ant
biodiversity, and more general biogeographic work useful for providin...
Crete is the largest (8250 km2) and more habitat‐diverse island in Greece holding 96 species of ants.
In this study we recorded the presence of all the local ant species from several sources (e.g.
collections, bibliography) and by using GIS representation we generated distribution maps on a taxon
level. Congruence and spatial analysis of the specie...
Greece at present holds the richest myrmecofauna in Europe. Recent publications and research
regarding ants from mainland and insular Greece have raised the need for a reassessment of the
status of ant species, which have been recorded and described from this Mediterranean area. Under
this scope, we have prepared a current catalogue of 283 species...
Although during the recent decades fires in the southern Mediterranean region are usually thought to be man-induced, for eons they were part of the natural processes taking place in typical forest and shrub ecosystems. The indigenous flora and fauna have developed ways of coping with this type of catastrophe and in many cases there have been docume...
Wild-fires are an integral factor of regeneration in Mediterranean ecosystems. When these occur, the landscape changes dramatically, as well as the distribution of organisms. Spiders comprise an appropriate group of ecological indicators, because they are diverse, abundant and easy to sample. Our goal was to assess the effects of wild fire on the a...
The development of this digital tool is a project that seeks to provide a user-friendly interactive identification guide to ants in Greece and their taxonomy, as part of a larger set of worldwide ant identification guides. This guide includes a taxonomic database of ants in Greece, an easy to use identification key and pictorial ant information. Li...
Harvester ants are one the most important factors of seed predation and dispersal in Mediterranean ecosystems. Their foraging strategy, ethology, physiology, energetics, and even morphology in relation to seed harvesting has been well documented during the past decades, exceeding more than 80 published papers. On the other hand, a full census of wh...
When starting a new colony, virgin queens mate with males during the nuptial flight at a specific time of the year. Under evolutionary pressure, species have distributed the time of their reproductive phase in order to avoid competition for food and space. To study this phenomenon, we used flying males and females captured during their nuptial flig...
