INVERTEBRATES
Invertebrates
are a huge taxonomical group of various animals. The term invertebrates
is used to describe: 
•
porifera (sponges)
• cnidaria (e.g., jellyfish, corals, sea anemones)
• worms
•arthropoda (e.g., spiders, scorpions)
• crustacea
(e.g., shrimps, crayfish, lobsters)
• insects
(e.g., bees, flies, butterflies, beetles)
• molluscs
(e.g., snails, mussels, oysters, cuttlefish, squids)
• echinodermata (e.g., urchins)
Naturally,
only few of the categories mentioned above are observed on Parnitha.
Insects are the most common ivertebrates. It is estimated that
insects are the most numerous group of all living organisms
on planet earth. Each day a new species is discovered, especially
in unexplored territories of tropical rain forests, with an
astonishing biodiversity. However, due to inhospitable conditions
in these areas, their exploration is difficult and time-consuming.
The Mediterranean area is the richest area in Europe, regarding number of invertebrate species, and arthropodes in particular. 75% of Europe’s fauna is found in the Mediterranean, and 40% in Greece. This abundance follows the general pattern of increasing biodiversity as we move from north to tropical areas.
Only a few number of species has been recorded from Greece. We believe that in some groups, such as hymenoptera, less than 50% of the species is known.
High percentages in endemism is another characteristic of Greek invertebrates, such as in islands and mountain areas, as well as in caves, where endemic species reach 30% of the total species found (Legakis, 2007).
In Parnitha, only some Lepidoptera (butterflies, etc.) have been recorded so far, and they are considered very few in relation to the actual number. This record comes from this paper: L. Gozmany: "The Lepidoptera of Greece and Cyprus. Fauna Greciae." Hellenic Zoological Society (in press). Press here to download this list.
Unfortunately,
no research has yet been made for Parnitha’s invertebrates,
so this page is confined to photographic material taken from
the mountain.
