Natural History Photographs




The Nemrut volcano erupted lastly in 1597, which led to the formation of Van Gölü.The caldera has a diameter of some 7.5 km; the altitude is around 2350 m. Slightly less than half of the caldera is formed by a crater lake, which is to 150 m deep (the photos below do not show the biggest crater lake). The slopes are partially covered with trees, but most of the caldera is rather sparcely vegetated.





The many large boulders, in part obsidian, are good substrate for lichens.




Insect life
Braconidae
Nederlands:Schildwespen
Deutsch:Brackwespen
Melecta spec.

The hoverfly, Merodon quadrinotata, has a color pattern so similar to this bee that the idea
this bee is a model for the mimicking hoverfly comes quite naturally to one's mind.
Vespula germanica
Authority:(Fabricius 1793)
Nederlands:Duitse wesp
Deutsch:Deutsche Wespe
Melitaea spec.

An aberrant color form. Since the various species that might fly in this area are normally
already difficult to identify, more than genus level ID is not possible with this specimen.
Lycaena thersamon
Authority:(Esper, 1784)
Synonyms:Thersamonia thersamon
English:Lesser Fiery Copper
Deutsch:Südöstlicher Feuerfalter
Lycaena tityrus
Authority:(Poda, 1761)
Synonyms:Heodes tityrus
Nederlands:bruine vuurvlinder
English:Sooty Copper
Deutsch:Brauner Feuerfalter
Français:Cuivré fuligineux
Español:manto oscuro
Merodon pruni
Perching male. It used several large boulders as its perch, along a stretch of ca. 10 meter.
Eristalis tenax
Authority:(Linnaeus, 1758)
Nederlands:Blinde bij
English:common drone fly
Deutsch:Mistbiene
Norsk:stor droneflue
Svenska:storslamfluga

The orange coloration is far more extensive than in Western European specimens.
Yet the two bands of hair on the eyes guarantee this is E. tenax!
Stratiomys longicornis
Authority:(Scopoli, 1763)
Nederlands:Harige langsprietwapenvlieg
English:long-horned general
 
Oplodontha viridula
Authority:(Fabricius, 1775)
Nederlands:Kleine moeraswapenvlieg
English:common green colonel
Tachinidae
Nederlands:Sluipvliegen
Deutsch:Raupenfliegen, Schmarotzerfliegen
Villa spec.
'Dirt-dancing' female.
Coenagrion lunulatum
Authority:(Charpentier, 1840)
Nederlands:Maanwaterjuffer
English:Crescent Bluet
Deutsch:Mond-Azurjungfer
Norsk:Måneblåvannymfe
Svenska:Månflickslända
Français:Agrion à lunules
Italiano:Coenagrion lunulatum
The population in the crater lake is well known.
Chrysomelidae
Nederlands:Bladhaantjes
English:Leaf beetles
Deutsch:Blattkäfer
Tenebrionidae
Nederlands:Zwartlijven
English:darkling beetle
Deutsch:Dunkelkäfer, Schwarzkäfer