A survey of fish species in the Iraqi marine waters was carried out for the period from November 2014 to March 2018. The list included 214 species representing 75 families. The family Carangidae dominated the marine fishes in Iraq, which was represented by 24 species, followed by Haemulidae with 11 species, and then Serranidae and Sparidae with nine species for each, while 34 families contained a single species only.

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A severe coalescence involving 11 thoracic and 11 caudal vertebrae was noticed in the posterior part of the thoracic and anterior part of the caudal regions of the vertebral column of the abnormal specimen of Luciobarbus xanthopterus collected from Al-Huwaza Marsh, Maisan Province, South of Iraq. Also, other minor anomalies were noticed in the specimen in question. Probably, genetic and epigenetic causes may be implicated in this anomaly.

Taxonomic studies on freshwater fishes of Iraq were reviewed. Considerable differences in number of species that have been recorded in Iraqi freshwater were noticed, the number ranged from 44 to 70 species. The difference might be due to recording of synonyms or incorrect records. The continuous record of new species on various periods may have contributed to such variation. Thirty eight species, mainly cyprinids, fell into the disagreement category. A final list of the species which have received majority agreement was proposed with a total of 53 species and 12 families.

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