Based on light and scanning electron microscopical studies, the following five species of philometrid nematodes (Nematoda: Philometridae) are described from marine fishes from off Basrah, southern Iraq (Arabian Gulf): Philometra iraqiensis n. sp. (females) from the abdominal cavity and ovary of the Klunzinger's mullet Liza klunzingeri (Day) (Mugiliformes: Mugilidae), P. megalaspidis n. sp. (females) from the ovary of the torpedo scad Megalaspis cordyla (Linnaeus) (Perciformes: Carangidae), Philometra sp. 1 (females) from the ovary of the greater lizardfish Saurida tumbil (Bloch) (Aulopiformes: Synodontidae), Philometra sp. 2 (females) from the ovary of the bartail flathead Platycephalus indicus (Linnaeus) (Scorpaeniformes: Platycephalidae) and Philometroides eleutheronemae Moravec & Manoharan, 2013 (male and females) from the ovary of the fourfinger threadfin Eleutheronema tetradactylum (Shaw) (Perciformes: Polynemidae). The new species are characterised mainly by the body length, the length and structure of the oesophagus and caudal end and by the family of their fish hosts. The male and the gravid female of P. eleutheronemae are described for the first time; the finding of this species in Iraqi waters represents the first record of this nematode in the region of the Arabian (=Persian) Gulf.

Two specimens of catfish were recorded for the first time from two different natural waters in Iraq. The first specimen was 67.7 mm. in total length, collected during a study on fish parasites of Ibn Najim marsh in the middle of Iraq during 2009. The second specimen was 312 mm in total length, captured during a survey on fishes of Shatt Al-Basrah canal south of Iraq in 2011. Twelve local aquarium pangasiids (Imported from the Philippines) were examined for morphometric and meristic characteristics for comparison. The results indicated that the aquarium specimens are closely allied to the wild specimens, all were identical with the genus Pangasianodon. The studied fish had characters share with P. hypophthalmus (Sauvage, 1878). The new occurrence of the striped catfish in Iraq, might be due to aquarium escape.

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This study was conducted in the College of Agriculture, the University of Anbar, which aimed to diagnose the Fusarium oxysporium. The field survey results showed the spread of the disease in all areas for the seasons 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 in the governorates of Anbar, Baghdad, Salah al-Din, and Babylon. The infection rate ranged from 20-66%. The infection rate ranged from 20-66%, and the results of the phenotypic and molecular diagnosis showed the presence of the Fusarium oxysporium in the isolated samples. The results of the hybrid sensitivity test ( Jocker, Natasha, Pasha) for the three most pathogenic isolates, as all the hybrids were sensitive to highly pathogenic fungi, and the isolates were All of them are highly pathogenic. Keywords: Fusarium wilt, watermelon, hybrids, sensitivity

An environmental study of zooplankton on the Shatt al-Arab River was carried out in two stations from July until November 2018. A total of 34 taxa of zooplankton were recorded in this study, belong to Cladocera, Copepoda and Rotifera. Some species have disappeared and others have emerged during the study period but varying numbers of dominant species found during the search such as Acarocalanus gibber, and recorded in the station 1 in July and station 2 for all months such as cyclopoid nauplii of Copepoda. Water temperature ranged between (19-35) °C station 1 and between (18- 32) °C at station 2, Salinity values fluctuated between (4.05 and 15.42 ‰), (6.47- 12.2 ‰) at stations 1, 2 respectively. pH values ranged was between (7.3 to 7.9) and (7.1 to 8.5) at stations 1 and 2 respectively. Copepoda density ranged between (0.12 to 88.23) ind. l-1 at station 1 and between (0.94 to 69.73) ind. l-1 at station 2. Density of Cladocera fluctuated between (0.06 and 1.45) ind. l-1. Maximum and minimum densities were at station 1. The population density of Rotifera ranged between (0.06 ind. l-1 to 20.44) ind. l-1 at second station.