Bulletin of the Iraq Natural History Museum

An extensive survey of citrus leaf miner (CLM) , Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton parasites
and predators was conducted during 1998 and 1999 in citrus orchards and nursuries in
Baghdad, Diyala and Wasit .Five eulophid parasites were recorded for the first time on citrus
leaf miner larvae , prepupae and pupae viz. Cirrospilus sp, Pnigalio sp ., Ratzburgiola
incompleta , Tetrasticus sp. and, Neochrysocharis formosa. Parasitism rate was ranged from
15% to 63% Chrysopa carnea , Orius albidipennis , Amblyseius sp . Were observed as
predators on CLM

Keys for 22 species representing 10 genera of Thripidae were provided collection of samples carried out during 1999-2001 in different localities in the middle of Iraq. Of them four species are described as new to science, Frankliniella megacephala sp. nov; Retithrips bagdadensis sp. nov; Chirothrips imperatus sp. nov; Taeniothrips tigridis sp. nov; Another fourteen species are recorded for the first time in Iraq; Thrips meridionalis (Pri.); Microcephalothrips abdominils (Crawford Scolothrips sexmaculatus (Pergande),);Scolothrips pallidus (Beach); Scritothrips mangiferae Pri.; Frankliniellatritici Bagnall; Frankliniella schultzie Trybom; Frankliniella unicolor Morgan; Retithrips aegypticus Marchal; Retithrips javanicus Mayet; Taeniothrips gowdeyi (Bagnall); Chirothrips meridionalis Bagnall; Chirothrips mexicanus Crawford; Chirothrips hamatus Trybom; and four species reported previously for Iraq; Thrips tabaci Lindeman; Retithrips syriacus Mayet; Parascolothrips priesneri Mound; Anaphothrips sudanensis Trybom; on different plants

Bekhme formation, Dernir Dagh well -1 has been divided into two facies units using core
sample slides and depending on sedimentary structures and diagenetic processes .The facies
reflect the environment of the foreslope.This work proves the absence of Bekhme formation
in Dernir Dagh
Well- 1 as a tongue as reported by the Oil Exploration Company. Some species and genera of
bentonic foraminifera were identified. The age of Bekhme formation was estimated
depending on the recognized index fossils to be lower Maastrichtian.

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 ( type of neomorphism) and precipitation of calcite in the fractures
and fossil chambers .

The avian family Scolopacidae comprises 24 species in Iraq (Allouse, 1961), this
constitutes 30% of the total number of the scolopacid species of the world. Nineteen of them
are winter migrants while the rest are spring and autumn visitors.
The scolopacids, usually, do not leave water and they tend to aggregate and make flocks.
This will increase their infection although the prevalence of their blood parasites is extremely
low. In Iraq, Shamsuddin and Mohammad (1981) examined eight scolopacid specimens
belonging to 5 species and found no parasites.
Recently, a good deal of specimens was available through the field trips achieved by the
staff of Iraq Natural History Museum – University of Baghdad during the years 1992-1997.
Therefore, it seems of interest to study the haemoproteids of these birds.

A total of 72 specimens of the wild jungle cat Felis chaus furax De Winton, 1898 were
examined for the purpose of this study. The results show that 55.6% of the sample harbored
either single or mixed infections with ecto- and/ or endoparasites. The mode of infection
shows that only four specimens( 5.6% of the total sample) acquire single infections, the
double infections comprise 15.3%, the triple infections comprised 33.3%, while the
quadruplicate infections comprised 1.4%.
The systematic list of the parasites included six ectoparasites: Ctenocephalides felis (insect),
Sarcoptes scabiei (mite), Haemaphysalis adleri, Rhipicephalus leporis, Rhipicephalus
turanicus and Hyalomma anatolicum excavatum (ticks) and seven endoparasites: Filaria
felis n. sp., F. melis, Toxocara canis (nematodes), Mesocestoides sp., Taenia crassiceps
(cestodes), Heterophyes dispar (trematode), and Oncicola probably travassosi
(acanthocephalan).
The meal of this cat in Iraq as revealed by the stomach analyses includes a wide variety of
invertebrate and vertebrate preys belonging to 48 species of mammals, birds, reptiles,
amphibians, fishes, insects, crustaceans, mollusks and scorpions as well as some fragments of
vegetable food.

Two EM techniques, terrain conductivity and VLF-Radiohm resistivity (using two different instruments of Geonics EM 34-3 and EMI6R respectively) have been applied to evaluate their ability in delineation and measuring the depth of shallow subsurface cavities near Haditha city. Thirty one survey traverses were achieved to distinguish the subsurface cavities in the investigated area. Both EM techniques are found to be successfiul tools in study area.