Bulletin of the Iraq Natural History Museum

The habitat type and food availability always influence the population size of many organisms. Bird’s feeding pattern should be abstracted to complete avian community structure data. The agronomy main research farm of Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology is a well-managed multi-crop agro-ecosystem which provides a suitable ground for ecological research. In a multi-crop farmland, the association of Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Linnaeus, 1758, with the Indian mustard Brassica juncea (L.) Czernajew, 1859 crops have been recorded for the first time while hovering only on this field. A flock of Barn swallows was recorded in 32 field visits while flying continuously over the Indian mustard field after flowering to ripening of fruit in the morning and sometimes in afternoon also. The range of the birds was recorded from 6 to 61 with a mean individual of 36.03 ± 15.37 hovering for 1.83 hr daily. This may be the behaviour for the feeding pattern of these flying insectivorous birds which was not seen in other crop-fields with same insect diversity describing it as not the only reason for this behaviour. To reveal this poorly understood behaviour of flying insectivore birds, a detailed long term behavioural study with gut content analysis is needed to explain the particular reason behind this behaviour of Barn swallows which will support the conservation of these birds and control their population decline.

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.

This note reported the first record of Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata (Pallas, 1764) (Passeriformes, Muscicapidae) from the state of Odisha, India. This species was recorded from the north and western part of the country as well as from the Western Ghats, but this note reports the first record from the Eastern Ghats of India.

In this paper, the species of the genus of Chlaenius Bonelli, 1810 (Coleoptera, Carabidae) were reviewed, and it was revealed that there are 21 confirmed species in Iraq; among them, the species of Chlaenius hamifer Chaudoir, 1856 was recorded for the first time in Iraq.
Diagnostic characters, a redescription of some of the morphological features, photographs and illustrations are provided for the new record species in this investigation

The Aaliji Formation in wells (BH.52, BH.90, BH.138, and BH.188) in Bai Hassan Oil Field in Low Folded Zone northern Iraq has been studied to recognize the palaeoenvironment and sequence stratigraphic development. The formation is bounded unconformably with the underlain Shiranish Formation and the overlain Jaddala Formation. The microfacies analysis and the nature of accumulation of both planktonic and benthonic foraminifera indicate the two microfacies associations; where the first one represents deep shelf environment, which is responsible for the deposition of the Planktonic Foraminiferal Lime Wackestone Microfacies and Planktonic Foraminiferal Lime Packstone Microfacies, while the second association represents the deep-sea environment that is responsible for deposition of Lime Mudstone Microfacies. The sequence boundaries were marked on SB1 surface on the bottom and the top of the succession while SB2 surface is placed at the top of the sequence (1) as shallowing-upward beneath deepening upward units. Sequence (1) placed on SB1 surface that separates the Cretaceous from the Palaeogene successions where it formed outer shelf to upper-middle bathyal, and comprised the Planktonic Foraminiferal Lime Wackestone Microfacies as a Transgression System Tract TST deepening-upward ended with Maximum Flooding Surface MFS represented by Mudstone microfacies in BH.188 Well. It is followed by the Planktonic Foraminiferal Lime Packstone Microfacies that represent the Highstand System Tract HST as a shallowing-upward ended by SB2. Sequence (2) begins with a new Transgression System Tract TST that formed the outer shelf and bounded with Maximum Flooding Surface MFS. The Highstand System Tract HST that shallowing-upward which ended by SB1 between the Aaliji and Jaddala Formations.

One eighth of the bird species in the world is considered globally threatened; the avifauna of Iraq comprises 409 species and is considered as the major indicator of the health of Iraq’s biological resources. The Iraqi geography falls into five main regions among which is the desert and semi-desert areas which cover much of the country area. Al-Najaf desert is still one of the poorly known regions from the biodiversity point of view. Birds of conservation concern are detected in Al-Najaf desert during 31 field trips to 20 sites conducted from August 2018 to April 2020, (citing literature records, and personal interviews with locals).The factors caused the bird numbers to decline in Al-Najaf desert include hunting and trapping, logging, invasive species, and climate change.
Nine birds are found threatened with 3 EN and 6 VU comprising Saker Falcon Falco cherrug Gray, 1834 (Falconidae, Falconiformes), Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus Linnaeus, 1766 (Falconidae, Falconiformes), Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis Hodgson, 1833 (Accipitridae, Accipitriformes), Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Accipitridae, Accipitriformes), Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga (Pallas, 1811) (Accipitridae, Accipitriformes), Marbled Teal Marmaronetta angustirostris (Ménétrés, 1832) (Anatidae, Anseriformes), Macqueen's Bustard Chlamydotis macqueeni (Gray, 1834) (Otididae, Otidiformes), Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur (Linnaeus, 1758) (Columbidae, Columbiformes), and Southern Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis aucheri Bonaparte, 1853 (Laniidae, Passeriformes). It is concluded that Al-Najaf desert is a region of top priority area for biodiversity conservation as it hosts large number of threatened bird species

The present study reports Morchella conica Pers.1818, which belongs to the family, Morchellaceae as a new record of Iraqi macromycota based on the morphological and molecular methods. During their short and often sporadic fruiting season, this fungal species was found in mixed forest unburned areas in Branan ranges (Suliamaniya Province, Northeast Iraq). Currently, M. conica is the second Morchella species reported from Iraq. The current study aimed to introduce this new record, which is poorly studied in the Middle East. M. conica is morphologically described and phylogenetically confirmed. The relationship between this species and other species within the genus was studied using the nrDNA ITS sequences from different species and diverse geographical regions. Maximum likelihood (ML) analyses were also conducted to build the molecular phylogeny of this species. The results of the presented species are essential for assessing the genus geographic distribution and developing information about species of this highly prized edible, industrial medicinal fungus.

The article presents the results of studying the conchological variability of the terrestrial mollusk Chondrulopsina fedtschenkoi (Ancey, 1886), known to occur in three regions of the Zaravshan Range (Central Asia): the Urgutsay Gorge, the vicinity of the Gissarak Reservoir and the Ingichka-Irmak Gorge. Conchological variability was determined based on statistical analysis. The climate of the three regions is different, and environmental factors have led to changes in the mollusk shell. The shells have changed in response to environmental factors, these are their adaptive traits for survival; the variability of conchological features is also reflected in the color of the shell, and the intensive development of the color of the shell in mollusks is an adaptive feature reflecting on the one hand, the adaptability of mollusks to any biotope, and on the other hand climatic and landscape conditions.

The current study is a taxonomic account of three gastrotrich species that belong to Chaetonotidae (Phylum Gastrotricha) namely Ichthydium auritum Brunson, 1950 Lepidodermella squamata (Dujardin, 1841) and Chaetonotus anomalus Brunson, 1950. These species are registered as a new record from Iraq and were collected from several locations along the main outfall drain (MOD) in south of Baghdad, from January to December 2020. The species described in this article were found to be related to Hydrilla and Ceratophyllum and prefer environments rich in detritus and decomposing organic matter. The worms preferred water that is salty, hard, alkaline, and had good oxygen content.

Jatropha L. is an exotic genus to Iraq and it has been cultivated in gardens for ornamental purposes because of the shiny red color of the flowers. The plant adapted to environmental conditions and succeeded in growing and blooming, which is why the species was interested to study. The species Jatropha integerrima Jacq. was examined and diagnosed for the first time in Iraq. Morphological and anatomical characteristics for leaves (considering that the variations are the most reliable and taxonomically important) were provided. The Phytochemical screening showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenes, tannins and saponins. The qualitative analysis by TLC indicated the presence of alkaloids and flavonoid that was detected by special reagent and UV light, which included two orange spots of alkaloid with 0.71 and 0.63 Rf value one flavonoid yellow spot with 0.43 Rf value.