Cosmochthonius reticulatus Grandjean, 1947 (Acari: Oribatei: Cosmochthoniidae) and Rhysotritia ardua ardua C. L. Koch, 1841 ( Acari : Oribate : Euphthiracari¬dae), are two species of oribatids mites first recorded in Iraq from a woodland in the central part of Iraq. The two species are described and illustrated.

Among a collection of ground beetles from Iraq the new species Acinopus euphraticus was designated and described here. The erection of this new species was mainly built on external features and the description of male genitalia.

A general and accurate morphological study was carried out for the species Calotropis procera which belongs to the family Asclepiadaceae. The research included the phenotypic characteristics of the root, stem and leaves the leaves were studied morphologically and anatomically, Flowers, fruits and seeds, as well as the geographical distribution of the genus were studied also. In general, there are no previous taxonomic study of this genus under consideration, according to the available sources and it is the first one has been done in Iraq, perhaps Because of its low prevalence previously, where it was recently noticed its spread in last two to three years ago. Keywords: Apocynaceae, Apple Sodom, Poisonous Plant, Anatomy

Among a collection of leafhoppers from Erbil Province in Kurdistan/Iraq, a new species of the genus Arboridia Zakhvatkin, 1946 was designated and described here as a new species  to  the science. The erection of this species was mainly built on the external characters included the male genitalia. Sites and dates of collections so as the host-plants were verified.

During a survey on the helminthic parasites of three species of turtles in the north part of Iraq, five species of nematodes were recorded for the first time in Iraq. They were all found in the intestine. These are, Camallanus microcephalus (Dujardin, 1845) recorvered from the turtle Clemmys caspica; Spironoura japonensis (Yamaguti, 1935) from Triopyx eup¬hraticus and Angusticaecum holopterum (Rudolphi, 1819), and Tachygonetria nicollei (Seurat, 1918) from the turtle Testudo graeca. All of the localities and hosts are newly recorded in Iraq.

Several specimens of the avocet, Recurvirostra avocetta L. are found infected with
Himantocestus gigantivcus sp. nov. ( Cestoda , Diploposthidae) . This cestode is related to H.
blanksoni Ukoli 1965 but easily differentiated from it in having longer and wider strobila,
larger size of testes but lesser in number, cirrus situated in the middle of mature segment
histead of anterior third and slightly posterior to the middle in gravid segment instead of the
middle , ovary and vitelline gland are larger , and the uterus has more branches.

The predatory bush crickets Saga ephippigera Fischer Von Waldheim, 1846 is the largest Iraqi orthopterans and one of the most active and successful predators in the Kurdistan region. The nymphs and adults prey on all the stages of various species of insects. Twelve adult specimens were collected from Erbil Province during May 2018 and June 2021. Morphological structures of the adult insects were described and illustrated in details; important taxonomic characteristics of body regions with their appendages were chosen; and the results indicated the importance of morphological characteristics which confirmed the identification of this species correctly.

Several toxigenic cyanobacteria produce the cyanotoxin (microcystin). Being a health and environmental hazard, screening of water sources for the presence of microcystin is increasingly becoming a recommended environmental procedure in many countries of the world. This study was conducted to assess the ability of freshwater cyanobacterial species Westiellopsis prolifica to produce microcystins in Iraqi freshwaters via using molecular and immunological tools. The toxigenicity of W. prolifica was compared via laboratory experiments with other dominant bloom-forming cyanobacteria isolated from the Tigris River: Microcystis aeruginosa, Chroococcus turigidus, Nostoc carneum, and Lyngbya sp. signifi