Taxon name
Stenella coeruleoalba
(Meyen, 1833)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Stenella coeruleoalba
(Meyen, 1833)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Mammals
Species authority
(Meyen, 1833)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
Recent genetic work suggests that the genus Stenella is paraphyletic, and it is likely that the Delphininae will be restructured in coming years (LeDuc et al. 1999, Perrin et al. 2013). Morphological and genetic studies strongly suggest that the Mediterranean and eastern North Atlantic Striped Dolphin populations are isolated from each other, with little or no gene flow across the Strait of Gibraltar (Calzada and Aguilar 1995, García-Martínez et al. 1995, Archer 1997, Gaspari 2004). No subspecies are recognized.
Location and scope
Specific locality or subnational name or regional name
United Arab Emirates (the)
Scope (of the Assessment)
National
Countries included within the scope of the assessment
United Arab Emirates (the)
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Not_assigned
Conservation Status
Assessed as
Data deficient
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This species is known only from a few recent sightings off Fujairah on the east coast of the UAE. No further information is available on population size or trends, and there are also no data on the impact of threats to the species, hence it is assessed as Data Deficient. No regional adjustment is made to the Data Deficient assessment.
Assessment details
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Criteria system used
IUCN
Reference for methods given
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.
URL (link) of redlist assessment or publication
https://www.moccae.gov.ae/assets/download/b352eff1/UNRL%20of%20Mammals%20-%20Report%202019.pdf.aspx?view=true
Further information
Endemism (according to assessment)
Endemic to region
Not assigned
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
Fishermen from Fujairah claimed to encounter this species (Baldwin 2005), however, the first confirmed records for the UAE were in waters off the east coast in April 2017 during surveys by the Fujairah Whale and Dolphin Research Project. Mostly considered very rare in the Arabian region, this species has since been observed off Fujairah on several occasions, including in mixed groups with <a href=""http://fujairahwhales.com/striped-dolphin/"">Spinner and Pantropical Spotted Dolphins</a>. The species has not been observed along the Gulf coast. Globally, this is a widely-distributed species, found in tropical and warm-temperate waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, as well as many adjacent seas (Hammond et al. 2008b).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
The species is found in deep offshore waters but are seen close to shore where deep water approaches the coast, as found off the east coast of the UAE.
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
The main threats to cetaceans in UAE waters include: incidental mortality in trawl, drift and anchored gill nets, depletion of prey populations (due in part to commercial overfishing); ship and boat strikes, disturbance due to underwater noise (including that from vessel traffic, drilling, piling, military operations and seismic activity related to offshore oil and gas exploration). Inshore and shallow-water species are further potentially threatened by entanglement in abandoned fishing gear, coastal development including port and harbour construction, dredging, land reclamation, residential and tourist development, and pollution (especially hydrocarbons). A lack of information (e.g. population size and trend, the location of critical habitats, and feeding ecology) hinders the development of appropriate conservation actions, but this should be used as an excuse for inaction.
History
The backcasted 1996 assessment for this species is Data Deficient.
Publication
Mallon, D., Hilton-Taylor, C., Allen, D., & Harding, K. (2019). UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial. A report to the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates (p. 41). IUCN Global Species Programme. https://bit.ly/2RdZCQR
