Cover «EUROPA. Underwater Fauna and Flora»

In 2024, the underwater world of the Black Sea became the theme of a new postal issue of Ukraine according to the EUROPA program “Underwater Fauna and Flora”. The postage stamps reflect the colorful and diverse marine world, which is currently suffering due to the hostilities and scrap of warships of the russian black sea fleet.

The brightly colored East Atlantic peacock wrasse Symphodus tinca, featured on one of the EUROPA 2024 stamps, is a marine fish that lives at depths of 1 to 50 meters. The color of the fish depends on its habitat, and males are much brighter than females, especially during the breeding season. Off the coast of Crimea, fish of 10.5–14 cm in length are usually found.

The second stamp depicts the largest representative of crabs in the Black Sea – the warty crab Eriphia verrucosa. The crab chooses to live in areas with rocky soil up to a depth of 30 meters. The Eriphia verrucosa is listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine. It is protected in the Cape Martian and Karadag nature reserves.

The issue also presents a sea beauty – the beadlet anemone (Actinia equina) which belongs to phylum Cnidaria, subphylum Anthozoa.