The Old World Screwworm Fly Chrysomya bezziana is a new insect pest on cattles and other domestic recor¬ded for the first from Iraq. It was first observed in cow's vagina in September of 1996 in Shaikh Hammed (Tarmiya), near Baghdad city. Chrysomya bezziana Villeneuve is well known as one of the most important insect pests of livestock. Its larvae infest living tissues by causing myiasis. In a wide range of worm-blooded host species (Spradbery and Vanningham, 1980; Spradbery and Kirk. 1992). It is widely dist¬ributed species over an extensive area of tropical and subtropical Africa, the Arabian Gulf countries, Iran. Indian subcontinent. South-East Asia. Indonesia, and as far east as Papua New Guinea (Zurapt, 1965; Djalayer et al. 1978;

A detailed systematic study of calcareous nannofossils was carried out for the Jaddala Formation in (Aj-10) well, Central Iraq. Seventy one species belong to twenty four genera of calcareous nannofossils were identified including sixty two of them were previously named and nine species were identified for the first time and they would not be given names until more information is obtained in the future to support this identification.
It is a recorded of five biostratigraphic zone, which suggested the age of the Jaddala Formation to be of early to late Eocene. The recorded biozone includes the following: Reticulofenestra dictyoda (Deflandre in Deflandre & Fert, 1954) Stradner & Edwards, 1968 Partial Range Biozone (CNE 5); Discoa

    In this study, the dung beetles Aphodius (Bodilus) ictericus (Laicharting, 1781) and Aphodius (Planolinellus) vittatus Say, 1825 which belongs to the family of Aphodiidae (Order: Coleoptera) are redscribed here as to being found for the first time in Iraq.

    The specimens were collected from different regions in the middle of Iraq; the main diagnostic characters and some morphological features of males were drawn and pictured.

Ghar Formation outcrop at the Iraqi western desert was studied by microfacies analysis
of (13) thin sections collected from wadi Al-Ratgha ( west of Qaim ) . According to
petrographic com position and organisms content ,rocks were subdivided into (4)
microfacies units :bioclastic wackestone , mudstone , miliolids wackestone , and grainstone
with aggregate grains microfacies .Microfacies units reflect shallow marine environment of
low circulation of very warm water at the middle part . The lower and middle part
interbedded with quite open marine environment below the wave base . The upper part was
deposited at shallow marine environment of low circulation . The main diagenetic processes
were the transformation ( ty

    Literature reviews of reports concerning the parasitic fauna of fishes of Al-Diwaniyah province, Iraq till the end of December 2018 showed that a total of 43 parasite species are so far known from 13 valid fish species investigated for parasitic infections. The parasitic fauna included one euglenozoan, two myzozoans, six ciliophorans, three myxozoans, three trematodes, nine monogeneans, four cestodes, six nematodes, three acanthocephalans and six crustaceans. The infection with the trematodes, one monogenean, two cestodes and one nematode occurred with larval stages, while the remaining infections were either with trophozoites or adult parasites. Among the inspected fishes, Carasobarbus luteus was infected wit

The species of Opilio kakunini Snegovaya, Cokendolpher & Mozaffarian, 2018 was recorded for the first time in Iraq; as well as to four species belonging to this order which were recorded previously. In this paper, we added a new species to the checklist of Iraqi opilionid fauna with a description of the most important characteristics, along with genitalia, for both males and females are presented with digital photographs. Specimens of males and females were collected from Al- Rifai district northern of Dhi-Qar Province, southern of Iraq.
 

Here we report for the first time the presence of Apoleptomastix bicoloricornis (Girault, 1915) (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae), as parasitoid of the rice mealybug, Brevennia rehi (Lindinger, 1943) (Hemiptera, Psedococcidae) in Iraq. Brief notes are provided in distinguishing the parasitoid from other closely allied species.

    Examining of 80 feces samples showed that 31 samples of the house and stray cats harbored either single or mixed infection with eight species of parasites and protozoa with a total infection rate 38.75 %.The results on parasite classes are: Toxocara cati (5%), Ancylostoma tubeforme (3.75%), Capillaria felis(3.75%), Isospora sp.(10%), Cryptosporidium parvum(3.75%), Cryptosporidium muris (6.25%), Toxoplasma gondi (3.75%), Giardia sp.(2.5%) infection from feces of cats that showed single, double and triple infections. Our findings revealed the risk for public health, thus preventive measures should be implemented.

    The aim of this study is to survey and make to revision the genera and species of Chloropidae fauna of Iraq. The investigation showed four species belonging four genera, which belongs to two subfamilies, and one unidentified species belonging to the genus Elachiptera Maquart, The specimens were compared with stored insects at Department of Entomology and invertebrates, Iraq Natural History Research Center and Museum.

    The tentative list of the biodiversity (plants and vertebrates) of Bahr Al-Najaf depression is found to comprise 104 vertebrate species including 2 fishes, 14 reptiles, 73 resident and migratory birds and 15 mammals. The flora consists of 31 species, mainly of plants well adapted to desert conditions that dominate the area, besides few examples of water plants. The salinity was found, through chemical analysis of the lake water, to be of high value which reduces the diversity of aquatic animal and plant diversity.

The survey and checklist of invasive species of the insects in some different localities of Iraq are revised; 24 invasive species were documented until December 2018 during the current investigations. The species distributions, common names and synonyms are given.

The current investigation included all of exotic species in Iraq, which are not collected during this study.

This study was conducted on species composition, morphology, ecological characteristics, biotope distribution, ecological groups, biodiversity indicators and zoogeography of leeches and gastropods distributed in the lower Ak-Buura River. According to the results, it was found that 7 species of leeches belonging to 4 families and 6 genera and 10 species of fresh-water gastropods belonging to 3 families and 6 genera live in the lower Ak-Buura River. In the river, it was observed that leeches are mainly distributed in muddy biotopes, and gastropods are widespread in muddy, stony and sandy biotopes with a lot of plants. Biodiversity indices of leeches and gastropods in the Ak-Buura River were analyzed using the Shannon index. As a result, it

    Land forms are result from interaction between lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. Lithosphere composed of lithologic units and the main units of the study area are: limestone, marl, marley limestone, sandstone, pebbly sandstone, mudstone, claystone and secondary gypsum in addition to Quaternary sediments. Landforms of the study area can be subdivided according to their origin into many units: 1- Structural- denudational: plateau, mesas, hills, cliffs and wadis; 2- Denudational: desert pavement and mushroom rock; 3-Mass movements; 4- Solution: lake, salt marsh, piping caves; 5- Springs; 6- Fluvial: terraces, alluvial fan, infilled wadi, flood plain; 7- Drainage units; 8-Evaporational: sabkha, secondary

The variability of Candaharia levanderi (Simroth, 1902)(Gastropoda, Stylommatophora, Parmacellidae) in two biotopes (southern and northern slopes, the Kampirtepa gorges, the Kugitang Tau ridge) has been investigated using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with the implementation of primers, the 18S DNA of the region is amplified, the variability (sharply differing in color) of two populations of C. levanderi is studied .
The first population is in the suburbs of Namangan, (Namangan Region); the second population is in Kampirtepa gorges, Kugitang Tau ridge (Surkhandarya Region). It is established that, most often, the variability of morphological signs is observed on the coloration of mollusks. The development of body coloration is an ad

The role of specific amino acids namely cysteine, methionine, threonine and asparagine in the protection provided by vamin solution against B-lactam inhibition to E. coli was evaluated in vitro In minimal medium, cells were treated with 32 ug/ml of penicillin G, carbenciLlin, hostacillin, cloxacillin and cephalotin in the presence of specific amino acid supplementation. Deletion of specific amino acids from the media abolished the protection provided by vamin. Threonine was essential for the protection of cells against all tested antibiotics, while cysteine was essential for protection against carbencillin and sephalotin. Deletion of methionine or asparagine abolished the protection against carbencillin and to a less extent cephalotin.

Eleven species of parasitic insects were recovered from puparia of house fly Musca domestica L. developing in animal dung in Baghdad during 1985-1987. Of the parasites obtained, representatives were found in five families of Hymenoptera and one family of Coleoptera. The most prevalent parasites were Spalangia cameroni Perkins, S. nigroaenea Curtis and S. endius Walk. Average parasitism for the two year was 11.30 %, the highest number of parasitism occurred in May and October.

Studies in Iraq that concerned identification of free-living Protozoa (sarcodina) are scarce; so the current study deals with these protozoan communities inhabiting the Tigris River in Baghdad City. Sampling collection stations have been selected at each of AL-Gheraiˈat and AL-Adhamiyah area adjacent to the river. Monthly intervals sampling with three samples were collected from each station from June to September 2020. Total of 23 sarcodina taxa were listed, out of them 5 taxa were new record to the Tigris River in Baghdad: Difflugia urceolata Carter, 1864 (Arcellinida, Difflugiidae), Heleopera perapetricola Leidy, 1879 (Arcellinida, Heleoperidae), Rhaphidiophrys pallida F.E. Schulze, 1874 (Centrohelida, Raphidiophridae), Saccamoeba sp

Convolvulus arvensis L., 1753 (Solanales, Convolvulaceae) is a cosmopolitan polymorphic perennial herb and one of 15 noxious crop weeds. The species has notable phenoplasticity among its populations. This study aimed to assess phenoplasticity in 20 morphologically distinct populations collected from the same habitat in Egypt to understand this feature in terms of chromosome number and karyotyping. A total of 55 morphological characters were studied, and the similarity values were assessed using Jaccard’s similarity coefficient. The morphological characters were distinguished into five groups with variations in chromosome counting and karyotyping. Accordingly, they were treated as genotypes. These genotypes include two distinct ploidy l

Land snails constitute an important group of mollusks distributed worldwide. This study reports on land snails found in Iraq. A survey of terrestrial gastropods was performed during their activity seasons in gardens, agricultural lands and nurseries in Iraq from March 2022 to September 2023. Fifteen terrestrial snails belonging to seven families were documented. The species Euchondrus michonii (Bourguignat, 1853) was identified and recorded based on several distinct conchological characters for the first time in Iraq. The recently collected specimens, along with those previously recorded in Iraq, were included in this checklist. Essential information on each species is also presented. As there is no previous checklist or study that provi

   The Eurasian marsh frog Pelophylax ridibundus is a widespread species in Iraq. Examination of intestine of 25 marsh frogs collected in Al-Diwaniya city, middle of Iraq during the period from September to November 2014 revealed the presence of Nematotaenia dispar (Cestoda), Cosmocerca commutata and Cosmocercoides variabilis (Nematoda). Infection rates and intensity have been presented in this paper.

The paper presents an annotated checklist of the Salticidae of Armenia. This study was carried out in 2019-2020 in order to provide an inventory of the Salticidae fauna. Thirteen species are reported for the Armenian fauna for the first time: Afraflacilla epiblemoides (Chyzer, 1891); Aelurillus v-insignitus (Clerck, 1757); Asianellus festivus (C. L. Koch, 1834); Heliophanus dubius C. L. Koch, 1835; Heliophanus kochii Simon, 1868; Heliophanus tribulosus Simon, 1868; Heliophanus curvidens (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872); Macaroeris nidicolens (Walckenaer, 1802); Pellenes diagonalis (Simon, 1868); Pellenes geniculatus (Simon, 1868); Pellenes seriatus (Thorell, 1875); Pellenes tripunctatus (Walckenaer, 1802) and Phlegra fasciata (Hahn, 1826).

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

A survey of blood parasites among members of two species of Iraqi babblers Timaliidae,
Turodoides caudatus salvadori (de Fillipi, 1865) and Turdoides alterostris (Hartert, 1909)
was carried out in the middle and south of Iraq. Two species of haematozoa were recovered,
Haemoproteus turdoidus sp. nov. and Plasmodium relictum Grassi &Felleti. The description
of the new taxon is provided and discussed with pertinent literature.

Contracaecum rudolphii Hartwich, 1964 is a nematode which causes major concerns to human and wildlife animal’s health. However, the population genetics of C. rudolphii has been poorly studied in Iraq. In order to gain a deeper understanding in the outline of the genetic diversity of the nematode C. rudolphii that were isolated from its host cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus, 1758), in the middle areas of Iraq, twenty specimens of C. rudolphii adults were isolated from nine individuals of P. carbo. The first (ITS-1) internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) of C. rudolphii were amplified using conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR); then, the amplicons were subjected to sequencing. Concatenation of ITS-1 (rD

     The nigra scale, Parasaissetia nigra (Nietner, 1861) (Hemiptera, Coccidae) recorded as a new insect pest attacking fig trees, Ficus carica (Moraceae) in Iraq. It was observed during April 2014 in residential garden at Al-Hurriyah district in Baghdad.

A total 474 argasid ticks removed from 617 hosts including bats, rodents, and birds were found belong to four species of the genus Argos. One of which A. reflexus is reported for the first time for Iraq. Some informations regarding the infestation rate, intensity and some biological data are provided.

Examination of the blood and the alimentary canal of moorhens in two sites around
Baghdad area in the middle of Iraq showed that 38% of the examined birds were infected with
one or more of the following parasites, Haemoproteus baghdadensis, H. gallinulae
(Protozoa), Cyclocoelum mutbile (Trematoda), Diorchis inflata, Ligula intestinalis (Cestoda),
Amidostomum fulicae and Porrcaecum sp. (Nematoda) .The stomach analysis revealed that
the bird is omnivorous in feeding including wid range of invertebrate animals with some plant
origin food items.

A new spontaneous mutation (dh) is described for Culex quinquefasciatus Say. This
phenotype was observed in the second generation to cause complete coloration of the head
capsule and the siphon of the larvae. This character is mainly detectable in the larval stage
and slightly in the adult stage.
The reciprocal mass matting between mutants from F2 generation and normal wild type
sibs, revealed that the mode of inheritance can be controlled by an autosomal recessive
gene(s). This happened for both sexes with slightly variability in their expression. No
significant larval mortalities were found in all crosses.

This paper is a review of the genus Sitta in Iraq, Five species of this genus are recognized
Sitta kurdistanica, S. neumayr, S. europaea, S.dresseri and S. tephronota. Geographical
distribution and systematic nots were given for separation and identification, also some notes
on nest building and nest sites of S. tephronota supporting by figures are presented.

    This study provides a Key to the species of Cerceris Latreille, 1802 (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae, Philanthinae) that were collected from different areas in Iraq. This is followed by a distribution list, including total species which had been registered for Iraq. Also this study includes some observations about the species that were recorded in previous checklists.