A study conducted by faculty members Shaimaa Saeed Rahim, Dr. Muhannad Khalaf Mohammed Amin, and Dr. Mustafa Abdul-Wahab Najm—titled "Isolation, Purification, and Melanin Synthesis Pathways in *Aspergillus* Section *Nigri*"—was carried out at the University of Basrah’s Department of Ecology .

Published in the *Iranian Journal of Medical Microbiology* (indexed in Scopus/Clarivate), the study demonstrated the importance of relying on both phenotypic and multi-gene molecular identification methods for this group of fungi.

The research examined the melanin-producing capabilities of certain species within section *Nigri* using solid culture media over various incubation periods.

The results revealed that *A. niger* and *A. tubingensis* produced the highest quantities of melanin after three weeks of incubation.