Bulletin of the Iraq Natural History Museum

As a part of the survey discovering the land snail fauna of Can Tho City, Vietnam, this study recorded snails for the first time in the city and an additional data on Amphidromus inversus annamiticus (Crosse & P. Fischer, 1863) for the plains of the Cuu Long River Delta. A. inversus annamiticus found in the study area has two types of shell spiraling, both dextral and sinistral, with or without a blackish brown spiral streak from the apex. All of the shells without that streak are sinistral and bigger in size compared to the ones with the color streak. Snail individuals were hibernating on the branches and trunks of landscape trees that include, Dipterocarpus alatus, Samanea saman, Khaya senegalensis, and Erythrina fusca.

On December 6, 2022, a single individual of African Crake Crecopsis egregia (Gruiformes, Rallidae) was recovered in the Algerian Sahara at Illizi City. This observation is considered the second in Algeria after the first at Kerzaz in Béni Abbès dated November 27, 2020.

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.

New distinguishing genus, Oxybelochardus gen. nov., belonging to the tribe Oxybelini
(Hymenoptera: Crabronidae), with the type species Oxybelochardus iraqensis sp. nov. from Iraq, have been described and illustrated. The diagnostic characters and differences from the close genera that were distributed and listed in the Palearctic Region are presented

An updated checklist of the Megachilid bees of Iraq is presented in this paper. The current list includes 31 species belonging to 10 genera, under the tribes Lithurgini, Osmiini, Anthidiini, and Megachilini within the Megachilinae subfamily. The basionyms, synonyms, and distribution of species in the world are also given. Based on the specimens, which obtained during this study, a diagnostic key was designed to identify the tribes and genera; the genus Heriades Spinola, 1808 (Tribe, Osmiini) is recorded for the first time in the Iraqi entomofauna.

This study presents a comprehensive list of the freshwater and marine bivalves distributed in Iraq. A total of 51 species were recorded, and distributed as: 14 freshwater species, and 37 marine species, these species belonging to 25 families, all available remarks on the distribution, taxonomy, and nomenclature of these species were given. This study included the recently collected specimens along with those previously studied and recorded in Iraq.

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 genera and species available in GenBank. The barcoding result (DNA sequencing) showed that it fit with C. kais. We conclude the results of the current study confirm that the validity of the morphological diagnosis of C. kais, using DNA sequencing analysis.

The biodiversity of benthic foraminifera around the coral communities and the concentration of heavy elements (e.g., Mn, Fe, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cd, and Co) in Miskan Island and Al-Khiran coastline of Kuwait are used as an ecological indicator for the environmental and anthropogenic stresses occurred from February 2018 to February 2019. The study resulted in identifying 19 families, 6 orders, 29 genera, and 94 species. Using R-mode cluster analysis results in four assemblages and using Q-mode principal component analysis (PCA) distinguished three groups depending on the deep. The three main assemblages refer to different depths, Group A from 20 cm to 1 m depth; Group B from 1.5 to 2 m depth, Group C from 6 to 8 m depth. Al-Khiran coastline is characterized by anoxic conditions, confirmed by the existence of pyrite. Additionally, high water turbidity because of anthropogenic effects. The low number of benthic foraminifera on Miskan Island is due to the dissolution and calcification of foraminifera shells. The Island characterized by freshwater runoff from Iraq meets saltwater in the gulf, affecting the salinity. The turbidity is caused by sediment runoff and eutrophication. Both sites were considered relatively unpolluted compared with the nearest Iranian coast. However, the relatively high potentially toxic elements in some locations are due to the semi-restricted geographic characteristic and high anthropogenic activity. There is no clear abnormality in the identified species showing normal aperture, coiling, shape, and size.

This study was done in Al-Alam City, Salah Al-Din Province, to determine the diversity of the macrofungi in it. The results of the field study showed two species were recorded in Iraq for the first time, Inocutis tamaricis (Pat) Fiasson & Niemelä, 1984 (Basidiomycota, Hymenochaetales) and Melanoleuca castaneofusca Contu, 1998 (Basidiomycota, Agaricales). These species were diagnosed based on macroscopic and microscopic, DNA sequence analyses and environmental charactes. The study included the adoption of the ITS gene for molecular diagnosis, the results of which were confirmed for morphological and environmental diagnosis, and the specimens were registered in the NCBI Global GenBank under the international accession numbers OP153814.1 and MZ334407.1 for the species I. tamaricis and M. castaneofusca, respectively.

The present study provides the first record species of the genus Lithobius Leach, 1814, L. ferganensis (Trotzina, 1894) which was collected from the middle of Iraq. A detailed explanation of the morphology and the diagnostic characters of specimens of both sexes is provided.

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.

In the current review, an updated list of dark beetle species (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) recorded in Iraq was given. The current paper is based on previous studies in the literature and contains all dark beetles referred to in Iraq, except for the species within the Pimelinae subfamily.
The investigation of this review showed the presence of 89 species belonging to 34 genera within five subfamilies. This work included mentioning the basionyms and synonyms for genera and species with their global distribution, as well as, correcting the scientific names that were mentioned in the previous checklists.