This study was conducted at the College of Agriculture / University of Basrah. The study aimed to characterize the genetics of local Iraqi black goats using mitochondrial DNA (Cytochrome b). A total of 160 blood samples were collected from local Iraqi black goats aged (1-2) years in the governorates of Al-Muthanna, Dhi Qar, Basrah and Maysan(40 samples each). A segment of 1140 bp of Cytochrome b gene were amplified.The number of haplotypes of the Cytochrome b gene was 20 haplotypes.The total number of transition mutations was 18, the highest number was in Al-Muthanna (8), the lowest was in Thi-Qar and Maysan, (only 2 mutations). The total number of transversion mutations was 9 (7 in Al-Muthanna and 2 in Basrah). The overall haplotype diversity (HD) was (0.864), the highest was in Basrahh (0.838). The overall nucleotide diversity was 0.00294, with the highest value in Al-Muthanna (0.00548). The presence of three haplotype pattern that were unique to the Iraqi black goat breed. The phylogenetic tree showed two main branches, the 1 stincluded the animals of AlMuthanna and Maysan, and the 2 ndincluded Thi-Qar and Basrahh. The phylogenetic tree for black Iraqi local goats exhibited a unique branch, goat breeds in the world showed another branch.The highest genetic distance between the animals of Basrahh and Al-Muthanna (0.833), the lowest between animals of Maysan and Thi-Qar (0.505). The results of the mismatch distribution showed a mono peak distribution in the animals of Thi-Qar and a multi-peaks distribution in the animals of Al-Muthanna and Basrahh.

Iraqi goats, cytochrome b, genetic diversity, haplotypes, nucleotide diversity