Char formation is subdivided into three lithological types according to the percentage of detrital quartz and calcite (micrite and sparite), through the petrographic study of 13 thin sections collected from a section at Wadi Al-Ratgha (west of Al-Qaim, Iraq Western Desert). The three rock units are: Limy sandstone, limestone and sandy limestone. Depending on the mean gain size of detrital quartz and degree of sorting and the type of matrix, Ghar Formation can be classified in to three types, i. e. off-shore sediments with low energy environment, near shore sediments with high energy environment and mixed sediments with transitional energy environment. This is due to local transgression and regression of sea level at late lower Miocene du

    The aim of the current study is to demonstrate the effect of honey on the sperms characteristics (sperm concentration, sperm motility, grade of activity and sperm normal morphology) as well as pregnancy rate in mice. Sperms were obtained from caudal epididymis of male mice and prepared by adding10% of honey to the IVF medium using direct sperms activation technique for 30 minute incubation period before artificial insemination.

    The study revealed a significant (P > 0.05) increase in active sperm motility (grade A and grade B) 49% and pregnancy rate 53.3% in female mice artificially inseminated with sperms. On the other hand, there were no significant differences in sperm con

    In this survey, there are 14 species belonging to 14 genera, nine families and two orders, collected on Macrofungi from Tikrit city, Salahadin Governorate, North Central of Iraq. The members of Coleoptera were more abundant than flies on Macrofungi.

    The family of Ciidae and Leiodidae (Order, Coleoptera), Mycetophilidae (Order, Diptera), and 6 species are recorded for the first time for insect fauna of Iraq.

The checklist of the species belonging to the Halictinae of Iraq is presented. Totally, 27 species under 3 genera belonging to Halictinae (Hymenoptera, Halictidae) are listed, of which Sphecodes cristatus Hagens, 1882, and Lasioglossum zunaga Sakagami, 1995, are documented as new records for Iraqi entomofauna. They were described and illustrated, as well as the distribution, basionyms, and synonyms of genera and species are provided.

A survey of haemoproteids among the eight species of Iraq rallids were carried out in the
middle, south, and west of Iraq. Two haemoproteods were recorded, Haeomproteus porzanae
(Galli-Valerio, 1907) as a new record for Iraq and the new species H. baghdadensis described
from Fulica atra L. collected in the middle of Iraq.

Phytophagous stink bugs (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae) are economically important insect pests of fruit, vegetable, nut and field crops. This study was carried out during the season of 2013 in orchards within Erbil city, to follow the stink bug Mustha spinulosa (Lefebvre, 1831) seasonal fluctuation on some fruit trees: olive, plum, apricot, pear, apple and almond.
The stink bug reaches its maximum abundance throughout the second week of August (38.2/tree) coinciding with mean temperature and relative humidity of 33.40C and 28.14% respectively, and the highest total mean of the number of the insect was recorded on the olive trees (181.8/tree). The study reveals that the stink bug attacked 22 trees (fruit and forest) while it has not atta

    The research has conducted on shelterbelt of Al-Ashraf Najaf city to explore suitability of four Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. Forms and two other tree species; Casuarina equisetifolia and Olea europaea to the local dominant sever conditions. Development in growth was studied through the interval of five years. Growth parameters included height, DBH stem diameter, main stem height, crown diameter, and stem girth were investigated. Distance from water supply was inspected, too. Results showed superiority of E. camaldulensis upon other species. Investigations showed weakness in growth of C. equisetifolia where most of trees could not resist because of their position in oppos

The Vulnerable Indian Roofed Turtle Pangshura tecta (Gray, 1831) (Testudines: Geoemydidae) occurs in the Sub-Himalayan lowlands of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Little is known about its natural history, no studies have been conducted revealing its natural predators. In this study, a group of Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos Wagler, 1827 (Passeriformes: Corvidae) was observed hunting and predating on an Indian Roofed Turtle carcass in the bank of river Kuakhai, Bhubaneswar, India. The first record of this predation behaviour is reported and substantiated by photographic evidence.

The present paper is very important for study of biodiversity of Iraq , to know how the
changes going and how the laughing dove S. senegalensis was a rare species in Iraq and now
is common and also the (baz) gosh hawk A. gentilis is common and the most famous 6rd of
pray in Iraq, till now missing from ornithologist and bird watcher to record it

230 stool samples were collected from 2 state homes for (males and females) to investigate
the infection of different intestinal parasites (pathogenic and non-pathogenic).
The infection rate was higher among males 15.7% than females 6%, these rates were
increased when concentration method was employed up to 54.8% for males and 8.7% for
females significantly.
Most infected orphans were found to harbor single parasite followed by double, triple
parasites.
The highest rate of infection was found among young age group (1-5) years old, while
the older age groups got lowest rates.
Of helminthes, the commonest parasite was Hymenolepis nana 5.7% and of protozoa, the
commonest intestinal parasite was Giardia lamblia

Both normally developed insects and insects developed after cessation of eggs growth were
used in this work. Cessation of eggs growth occurred following abnormal conditions, which
lasted for 3.5 months before developing into adults, due to the war led by the U.S. and her
alliances against Iraq. These insects showed low rates of water contents and an active response
to water loss. Therefore their tolerance of desiccation was weak. In addition, they had an active
ability to restore their water loss quickly, after return them to a culture, this indicates that some
changes occurred in their integumentary properties were not permanent and took their turn
within one population only, but may or may not serve this population

In May 2021, one of the authors collected 22 specimens of land mollusks in the Khoja Mohammed Ridge, located in the northeastern part of Afghanistan. Shell is extraordinary, similar to Fruticicola perlucens (Rosen, 1903). However, having a number of differences, including a finely grained sculpture of the embryonic whorls, smoothly ribbed last whorl, evenly turned edges of the aperture, a strongly blurred white lip, and a clearly pronounced swollen base of the stylophore of this species, makes it describe of Fruticicola pseudoperlucens sp. nov. as new species to science.

When the guard honey bees, Apis mellifera L., form a clump at the hive entrance or on the flight board, the oriental hornet, Vespa orientails L., either creeps toward the clump or hovers over it in order to take a bee. Once the hornet creeps, only few bees facing the hornet become alert, rock their heads and antennae, open their wings, and take a posture of defense. The rest of the clump stays listless without any signal of concern. However, the clump stays dense and the defending bees do not detach themselves neither from the rest of the clump nor from each other. For this reason, it is very difficult for the hornet to grab a bee unless the latter makes a “mistake” by detaching herself from other adjacent bees. If the hornet grabs s

The following list comprises sixty-one species and subspecies of coccine¬llid beetles belonging to twenty-two genera distributed among six tribes in three subfamilies. All the species and subspecies have been recorded for Iraq. The categories have been arranged systematically according to Korschefsky's (1931) catalogue.

    The Love Creek Nature Center, one of the three nature centers located within the boundaries of Berrien County, is owned and operated by the county for public enjoyment and instruction of nature. The 44.5 ha study area, located seven km east of Berrien Springs, and two km southwest of Berrien Center, on Huckleberry Road, in T6S, R17W, sections 16, 17 (Lat. 41° 56' N; Long. 86° 18' W) is made up of deciduous woods and abandoned fields at various stages of succession. It is bounded on the east by the Berrien County Dog Pound and Huckleberry Road, to the north by cultivated Berrien County land and the Berrien General Hospital, to the west by the recently closed Berrien - Oronoko Township Landfill Dump; and to the south b

Many stone tools were found on a hill south of the Hor Al-Dalmaj which is located in the central part of the alluvial plain of Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The types of rocks from which the studied stone tools were made are not found in the alluvial plain, because it consists of friable sand, silt, and clay. All existing sediments were precipitated in riverine environments such as point bar, over bank, and floodplain sediments. The collected stone tools were described with a magnifying glass (10 x) and a polarized microscope after they were thin sectioned. Microscopic analysis showed that these stone tools are made of sedimentary, volcanic igneous and metamorphic rocks, such as: sandstones, limestones, chert, con

The Nilgiri large burrowing spider, Haploclastus nilgirinus Pocock, 1899, an endemic tarantula in the Nilgiris Region of India, is critical for conservation yet poorly understood in terms of its ecology and habitat. This study addresses this gap by examining the nesting habits, tree-hole dynamics, and prey diversity of the species in Coonoor, The Nilgiris, specifically within tea plantations and fruit orchards. Observations focused on seven pear trees serving as nesting sites, with detailed measurements of nesting holes, including outer and inner circumference, depth, trunk base, ground-based height (gbh), and height from the ground. Data were collected over four consecutive months, both morning and evening. Insect diversity in the orcha

The study aimed to describe the anatomical, histological, and histochemical structure of the proventriculuc of adult male Eurasian marsh harrier, Circus aeruginosus (Linnaeus, 1766) (Accipitriformes, Accipitridae). Six birds were used for this study. The histological sections of proventriculus were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, periodic acid Schiff, and alcain blue. The proventriculus, representing the upper stomach, appeared as a conical structure with a thick wall connecting the caudal end of the thoracic esophagus to the gizzard. It had a light brown color. Microscopic examination revealed that the proventriculus wall consists of the outer tunica serosa, the tunica muscularis, tunica sub mucosa, and the inner tunica mucosa.
T

Cyprinidae species are the most abundant and widely distributed fish species in the inland waters of Iraq. Cyprinids are complex species, and it is difficult to identify them on the basis of morphology. Thus, the morphological characteristics must be achieved and confirmed by molecular analysis. Twenty specimens of Cyprinion kais Heckel, 1843 (Piscies, Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae) were collected from two localities at Tigris River in the middle of Iraq: five specimens from Al-Tharthar Lake, Saladin Province, and 15 specimens from Al- Zubaydiyah sub-district, Wasit Province.
The DNA sequences of C. kais were done using the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b (cytb) gene. After analysis, the sequences were compared with sequences of other fish

In this study, we provide an analytical comparison combined with morphological characteristic of eggs and newly hatched precocial chicks of three lapwing species, Red–owattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus (Boddaert, 1783), Spur-winged Lapwing V. spinosus (Linnaeus, 1758), and White-tailed Lapwing V. leucurus (Lichtenstein, 1823) that breed in Al-Malih Wetland in Babylon Province, Middle of Iraq. Occupied nests were located during the breeding season (March–June 2023), breeding events (e.g., adult courtship, marking of the breeding territories, nest-site selection, nest building, and egg incubation) were carefully observed. A total of 48 eggs from a total of 12 lapwing nests (4 eggs for each nest, 4 nests for each species) were cautiously

Eimeriosis is a major problem affecting ruminants worldwide. The disease is primarily caused by Eimeria species, which are specialized for each host and grow in the small and large intestine of animals. The losses due to subclinical infections (especially weight loss) and clinical disease (diarrhea) make the species of this genus a very significant economic concern. Therefore, this study was conducted in some areas of Wasit Province. A total of 180 fecal samples from goats, of both sexes and covering different age groups and months, were collected. All fecal samples were examined microscopically, and 75 positive fecal samples were taken for molecular examination and further analyzed using conventional PCR, sequencing and phylogenetic ana

    Shiranish has been studied at Hijran section near Erbil city, NE Iraq. Fifty two thin-sections were prepared to study them under polarized microscope, to determine the petrographic component, organic content and digenetic processes. Rock units subdivided into four rock beds, as follows: dolostone, foraminiferal biomicrite, poorly washed biomicrite and micrite. Vertical succession of Shiranish Formation refers to off-shore quite marine environment.

This paper included the study of Al-Rahimawi drainage basin, one of the watersheds in the Iraqi southern desert. It represents one of the hydro-geomorphological systems so-called Lower Valleys Region, according to the geomorphological division of Iraq. A set of geomorphometric parameters were used for the morphological characteristics of the Al-Rahimawi watershed, which gave precise consequences about this valley's geomorphological features and the erosive phase. The parameters used in this study are the circulatory ratio (RC), form factor (Ff), elongation ratio (Re), compactness factor (CC ), lemniscate ratio (k), and length/width ratio (R/W). In addition to using the digital elevation model (DEM) type SRTM and the satellite image of th

Some methods recommended abroad to control the oriental hornet, Vespa orientalis L., attacking the honey bee, Apis mellifera L., colonies were tested, with some modifications, for the first time under the Iraqi conditions. One of these methods was carried out by covering the hive entrance with a piece of queen excluder to prevent the hornet from entering the hive. Also, the position of hive stand was reversed to deprive the hornet from using the flight board as a stage for waiting and creeping toward the defending bees. The second method was carried out by fixing a cardboard cone as a bee passage at the hive entrance to hinder the entry of the hornet into the hive. Both of these methods were found to be unsuccessful to

The Middle East fat tailed sheep Ovis aries L. examined within the boundaries of Al-Anbar province, western Iraq was found to acquire seven species of ixodid ticks namely, Hyalomma
anatolicum, H. excxavatum, H. marginatum turanicum, H. detritum, Hyalomma sp., Rhipicephalus turanicus and R. s. sanguineus. The results discussed with the pertinent
literature.

Sidr trees are exposed to infestation by various insects, including the fruit fly species that belongs to the genus Carpomya Costa, 1854 (Diptera, Tephritidae), which comprises different species, some specialized in infesting sidr fruits. Therefore, this study aimed to diagnose the species of this genus infesting fruits of various species of Ziziphus Mill., 1754 cultivars. using distinct morphological features and molecular analysis (PCR). The paper also included constructing a phylogenetic tree for the genetically sequenced species using the COI gene and the sequence data were then compared with available data in GenBank.
The survey was conducted from December 2024 to May 2025, when a total of 25 kg of infested sidr fruits were colle

    Specimens of the sesarmid crab Nanonsesarma sarii  (Naderloo and Türkay 2009) were    collected from the intertidal zone of Khor Al-Zubair, Basrah, Iraq 2012 far from the Arabian Gulf coasts. Morphological features of this species are highlighted and a figure is provided. 

A total of 28 birds were examined to investigate about the distribution of the nematode Hadjelia truncata among some members of the avian family Columbidae in Al-Diwaniya Province, Central Iraq. The percentages of the infection rate with this nematode were 27.27, 37.5, 14.28 and 0 in Columba livia, C. palumbis, Streptopelia decaocto, and S. turtur respectively. Reporting Hadjelia truncata from Streptopelia decaocto constitutes a new host record.

A new species, Hottentotta pooyani sp. nov. is described and illustrated using two female specimens collected from the Khuzestan Province in Iran. This species is compared with the closely species including H. khoozestanus Navidpour, Kovařík, Soleglad & Fet, 2008; H. pellucidus Lowe, 2010 and H. saxinatans Lowe, 2010 that were previously described in Iran and Oman.