Dhi Qar Researcher Discovers New Spider Species, Names It ‘Ur’

Researchers from Dhi Qar University in collaboration with the University of Turku in Finland have announced the discovery of a new spider species in Dhi Qar Governorate, named Eresus urus in tribute to the Ur civilization.

The university proudly announced that, with the contribution of one of its faculty members, a new species of spider has been discovered in Dhi Qar Governorate. Assistant Professor Ghassan Adnan, a lecturer in the College of Education for Pure Sciences/Department of Life Sciences, achieved a significant academic milestone by publishing a groundbreaking study. This research was conducted in collaboration with Dr. Alireza Zamani from the University of Turku in Finland and Dr. Ahmed Saeed Al-Badri from the University of Maysan. The newly discovered spider species, named Eresus urus (Al-Yacoub & Zamani, 2025), is a tribute to the ancient Ur civilization of Mesopotamia, dating back to the 21st century BC.

In recognition of the research’s importance, images from the study were selected as the cover for the latest issue of the prestigious British journal Arachnology. This discovery has also been officially documented on the Swedish WSC website, which specializes in cataloging spider species and their global distribution.

The male and female samples of Eresus urus were collected in Dhi Qar Governorate, specifically from the Shatra and Nasiriyah regions. The species is classified as a ladybird spider. This research marks a valuable contribution to the field of biodiversity, offering new insights into ecosystems and supporting efforts to protect biodiversity, especially in regions that remain underexplored.

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