The largest herbarium and natural history museum of Cyprus, "Cyprus Herbarium and Natural History Museum", where thousands of materials obtained and collected through an 18-years study and research will be exhibited, will be opened by the Prime Minister Tufan Erhürman.

According to the press information released by Near East University Press and Public Relations Directorate, the opening ceremony of Cyprus Herbarium and Natural History Museum where 11 thousand different plant samples, mushroom varieties, insect species, various reptile species, marine creatures and materials related to Cyprus geology and natural history will be included, will take place on Tuesday, May 7, 2019 at 09.00 at the Faculty of Pharmacy.

The museum will serve all researchers, students and the scientists who will work in this field, as well as all the nature and Cyprus enthusiasts in terms of education.

Richest museum with 140 Cyprus-Specific and 19 Northern Cyprus-specific species...
The museum, which has a great importance for environmental research, incorporates 11 thousand varieties of 1500-1600 plant species available in Cyprus. In this collection, there are 140 species specific to Cyprus, and 19 species of plant species that grow in the Beşparmak (Pentadactylos) Mountains of Northern Cyprus. The museum, which carries out ethnobotanical studies on the determination of the use of plants by the people of Cyprus, also has examples of plant species used as food and spices.

First Comprehensive Studies on 106 Mushrooms and 250 Algae (Water Algae) were conducted...
Initially working on flowering plants, the Herbarium and Natural History Museum also supported the first comprehensive study of fungi in Cyprus. As a result of the studies, 106 different types of mushrooms belonging to 3 different groups were obtained within the museum. TÜBİTAK project conducted in cooperation with universities of Turkey and focusing on algae seaweed museum has hoarded 250 species. In addition, many scientific studies are carried out in cooperation with the European Union, the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey, and TUBITAK.

A New Species of Spider Specific to Cyprus discovered...
As a result of the research carried out on the snakes, reptiles and insect groups as well as in the field studies, a new spider species belonging to the Dysderidae family of Araneae group was discovered during the field work in the forest and bush areas in the Beşparmak Mountains. The newly discovered spider species was named as Gun Harpactea Gunselorum . The new spider registered as a new species in Zoobank and entered the literature under the name Günselorum. The museum also features 23 reptile species. Founding President of the Museum Prof. Dr. Salih Gücel and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özge Wayne Fuller also made a contributions in the preparation of examples of reptile, bird, sea creatures.

Research on the Cyprus Insect Fauna… The Ladybug Collection will be in the Museum...
Near East University Faculty Member Ecologist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özge Özden Fuller has been working on for about 18 years and conducts scientific studies for the collection of museum on various insect groups. The richest ladybug collection belonging to the island of Cyprus will take place in the museum. In addition, insecticides belonging to the Thysanoptera group which has been diagnosed in Frankfurt Senckenberg Museum in Germany will be exhibited in the museum. New species found as a result of studies conducted by Ecologist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özge Özden Fuller and Exeter University Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Jason Chapman will be added to the museum

Fossil and Geological Materials will be exhibited...
The fossils belonging to the island of Cyprus obtained by Cavit Atalar and some other geologically important materials will also be exhibited in the Cyprus Herbarium and Natural History Museum. Specialist İzel Hacıoğulları, a faculty member of the Near East University, is also involved in the establishment of the museum.