Plectorhinchus schotaf | UAE National Red List of Marine Species: Reef-building corals, cartilaginous fishes and select bony fishes

Taxa
Plectorhinchus schotaf | (Forsskål, 1775)
Publication
UAE National Red List of Marine Species: Reef-building corals, cartilaginous fishes and select bony fishes
Location
Countries in Assessment
United Arab Emirates
Country ISO code(s)
ARE
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Off
Scope (Assessment)
National
Taxon
Taxonomic Group
Vertebrates
Taxonomic Group Level 2
Fishes
Assessed taxon level
Species
Taxonomic Notes
Two species, Plectorhinchus caeruleonothus and P. unicolor, have long been confused with P. schotaf (Johnson and Wilmer 2015).
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
In the UAE, this species occurs on the Sea of Oman coast and possibly on the Arabian Gulf coast, but this requires further study. Globally, it is distributed in the Western Indian Ocean from South Africa (Transkei) north to the Red Sea, Arabian Gulf, Sea of Oman and Arabian Sea to Pakistan and India (Johnson and Wilmer 2015, Psomadakis et al. 2015). Its depth range is 1-80 m (Lieske and Myers 1994).
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
Yes
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species is most commonly found in surf zones around rocky and coral reefs as well as in seagrass beds, and occasionally in rivers and estuaries (Roux 1986, Lieske and Myers 1994, Gell and Whittington 2002). Juveniles are found in tide pools (Smith and McKay 1986). This species is nocturnal and feeds on zooplankton and small fish (Dorenbosch et al. 2005). The maximum total length is 90 cm (McKay 2001).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Least Concern
Assessment status abreviation
LC
Assessment rationale/justification
In the UAE, this demersal, reef-associated species occurs on the Sea of Oman coast and possibly the Arabian Gulf coast. Fishing activity is not known to be causing population declines at this time. There are no known major threats; therefore, it is listed as Least Concern in the UAE.
About the assessment
Assessment year
2019
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
Government
IGO
Assessor affiliation specific
Government|IGO
Criteria system
Criteria system specifics
IUCN v3.1 + Regional Guidelines v4.0
Criteria system used
IUCN
Criteria Citation
IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, Second edition. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. iv + 32pp pp. And IUCN. 2012. Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.
Endemism
Endemic to region
Not_assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Conservation
Threats listed in assessment
Fishing activity is not known to be driving declines in the UAE at this time. Corals in the UAE and Arabian Gulf have severely declined due to the increasing frequency of mass bleaching events caused by rising water temperatures, which is a consequence of climate change, as well as pervasive coastal development (Riegl et al. 2018, Burt et al. 2019).
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Scientific Name Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus
Plectorhinchus schotaf Animalia Chordata Actinopterygii Perciformes Haemulidae Plectorhinchus