Assistant Professor Dr. Israa Nasser Ghulam from the Department of biology published a scientific research paper entitled “A New Record of Brown Lip Snails: Eobania, vermiculata (O. F. Muller, 1774,) Gastropoda: Helicidae in the Gardens of Karbala.” It was published in the journal Machine Learning for Applied Physics, which is classified in Scopus Q2. The research aimed to document the first scientific record of the presence of the land snail Eobania vermiculata in the gardens of the holy city of Karbala, Iraq, during the period from February to April 2020. Fifty samples were collected from nurseries and the outskirts of the shrine of Imam Hussein, and the morphological characteristics of the shells were documented, including length, width, and opening height. The study found that this species is characterized by shell colors ranging from creamy green to dark brown, with stripes or spots. This species of snail is a known agricultural pest in many regions of the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula. The study indicates that this snail’s activity increases during the fall and spring seasons. The classification was verified using modern taxonomic sources. This record represents a new addition to the region’s biodiversity and serves as an important reference for studies on biodiversity and pest control.
