Bulletin of the Iraq Natural History Museum

This work presents external morphological study of the leafhopper Empoasca decedens
Paoli, 1932 particularly male genitalia, which were dissected and illustrated.
The genus Empoasca Walsh (Typhlocybinae: Empoascini) contains small, slender, fragile
and generally green leafhoppers. The overall length ranges from 3-3.5 mm. Members of this
genus are charachterized by their uniformly green color, inner and outer apical cells of
forewing not attaining wing apex, second and third apical cells are sessile or triangular or
even short stalked, submarginal vein of hindwing extends around wing apex and turned
beneath costal margin, apical thirds of tibiae and tarsal segments including claws are
prominently green while other parts of legs are yellow (Ribaut, 1936;Young, 1952; Dlabola,
1958; Le Quesne and Payne, 1981).
Inspite of the many check lists appeared about the insect fauna in Iraq, members of this
genus are still poorely understood taxonomically. Derwesh (1965) was the only one to
include E. decedens within the insect fauna of Iraq.

Macrocheles glaber (Müller) is one of several mites that feeds on eggs, newly hatched &
small larvae of house fly Musca domestica L. This mite was reared in the laboratory on house
fly frozen eggs at constant conditions of 28°C±1 and 90% relative humidity using sterilized
horse dung substrate. The predation rate of adult female and male on frozen eggs was (18, 3)
eggs/mite/day respectively, the number of frozen eggs destroyed by adult female through its
life was 185.6 eggs.
The mean duration of adult female from egg to adult stage was 2.67 days, the longevity of
female was 27.8 days, the mean daily egg production was 2.7 egg with total egg productivity
of 72.1 egg.

Samples of marsh frog included 148 sexually mature males were collected in Baghdad
from December 1992 to December 1993 to December 1993. The testis weight was expressed
as percentage of the body weight. The percent mean weights of testis were at their minimal
weight (0.255%) during April (spawning period).
Testis weight has increased until reached its greatest average weight in August (0.785%).
During the winter there is a slight decrease in weight with a more obvious fall at the spawning
months. From the results obtained from the present work on Rana ridibunda and from the
observations on annual cycle in testis weight of some temperate zone anurans we notice that
testes tend to be lowest after spawning and the testis cycle seems to be correlated with
geographic range of distribution.

This work includes a detailed description of the Leucostoma nigricorpuris sp. nov. from
Iraq. Locality, host plants and data of collection were given.

Eleven hymenopterous species: two braconids, seven eulophids and two pteromalids
parasitized the larvae of Phytomyza horticola Goureau. The activity of the parasites began at
the end of April and evidently increased during May. The female of the parasites fed and
parasitized mostly on the second and third larval instars of P. horticola . Diglyphus iseae
Walker and Cirrospilus vittatus Walker were dominant larval parasites. Chrysocharis
pentheus Walker and Pediobius acantha Walker were main pupal parasites.

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

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.

Rooting response in stem cuttings of mung bean increased considerably with inresing
seedling age, due to endogenous IAA or supplied IBA. However, after the day 7- or 8-old of
seedling age. The cotyledons sheivel and drop-off spontaneously at day-8 of seedling age. So
that cotyledons excision after cuttings were made during the period between seedling
emergence (the day 4) and cotyledons dropping off (which starts at day 8 and its completion
at day 10) causes decrease in rooting at any time during cutting treatment ,in particular, at
zero time . In addition, results of this study revealed that terminal buds do not influence
significantly adventitious root formation whether IBA supplied or not. Whereas in leafless
cuttings, excision of terminal buds at any time enhance rooting of cuttings specially at zero
time, compared with its presence. The correlative role of cotyledons and terminal buds as a
source of endogenous IAA and rooting co-factors and their influence on seedling
development and subsequently on rooting response of cuttings derived from them. In addition
to role of leaves on uptake and subsequent transport of supplied IBA have been discussed.
Key Words: Adventitious roots, Auxin, Stem cuttings, Seedling age, Cotyledons, Terminal
buds, Correlative phenomena