Taxon name
Epinephelus coioides
(Hamilton, 1822)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Epinephelus coioides
(Hamilton, 1822)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Fishes
Species authority
(Hamilton, 1822)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
This species is frequently mis-identified as Epinephelus malabaricus or E. tauvina in aquaculture and fisheries literature (Heemstra and Randall 1993).
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
Qualifying criteria (if given)
A2bcd+4bcd
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This demersal species inhabits nearshore habitats from estuaries (juveniles) to coral reefs (adults) throughout UAE waters. It is heavily targeted by grouper fisheries throughout the Arabian Gulf and off Oman. It is considered overexploited in the UAE, Oman and the Gulf. In addition, degradation of coral reefs and estuaries is pervasive throughout the Gulf, and is also impacting this species. According to fish market observations, catch data and biomass estimates from scientific surveys, this species has undergone an inferred decline of at least 20-45% and possibly more, since about 1998, or over the past two generation lengths. Conservation measures, including protected areas and fishing regulations (minimum catch length and some fishing license control in Abu Dhabi), have prevented the rate of decline from exceeding 50% at this time; however, fishing effort exceeds sustainability, causing overexploitation to continue. Fishing effort is expected to remain the same or increase in the future time period over the next generation length. Population(s) in areas neighboring the UAE are also in serious decline and it is unlikely that fishing effort is decreasing at a significant level elsewhere. Therefore, this species is listed as Vulnerable A2bcd+4bcd.
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.
Further information
Endemism (according to assessment)
Endemic to region
Not assigned
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
This species occurs throughout UAE waters. Globally, it is widespread in the Indo-West Pacific (Heemstra and Randall 1993). Its depth range is 0 to 100 metres.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species inhabits coral reefs typically along continental coastlines and large islands (Carpenter et al. 1997a, Grandcourt et al. 2005). Juveniles often occur in estuaries over sand, mud and gravel substrate and amongst mangroves (Kailola et al. 1993, Randall et al. 1997). It primarily consumes fishes, shrimps, crabs and other benthic crustaceans (Grandcourt et al. 2005). Its maximum total length is 172 cm and is a diandric protogynous hermaphrodite (Grandcourt et al. 2009). Juvenile sexual differentiation in this species can be significantly influenced by social factors (Liu and Mitcheson 2011). In the Arabian Gulf, it has been aged to at least 22 years (Mathews and Samuel 1991, Grandcourt 2006, M. Abdullah pers. comm. 2010). Females reach first maturity at 4 years and 34 cm total length. Males reach maturity at 67.5 cm and 7.5 years and transition occurs at 50 to 75 cm at 4 to 8 years of age (M. Abdullah pers. comm. 2010). McIlwain et al. (2015) reported a size and age at 50% maturity for females of 58 cm total length and 4 years. Based on a longevity of 22 years, age of first maturity of 4 years, and applying the mean generational turnover formula in Depczynski and Bellwood (2006), one generation length is estimated to be 12.5 years. It forms seasonal spawning aggregations in the Arabian Gulf from March to June (Heemstra and Randall 1993, Grandcourt et al. 2009).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Overfishing is a major threat to this species in the Arabian Gulf (Grandcourt et al. 2005). Degradation of estuaries (juvenile habitat) due to coastal development and pollution may also impact this species. The effects of reduced discharge of the Shatt Al-Arab River caused by damming of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers has greatly impacted the estuarine habitats in the northern Gulf (Al-Husaini et al. 2015), and caused reduced recruitment in this species (Ben-Hasan et al. 2018). Chlorinated-hydrocarbons (sourced from pollution) have been detected in this species in sampling conducted in the UAE, and this is considered to be an additional stressor to the health of adults of this species (De Mora 2005). 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).
Publication
Ralph, G.M., Stump, E., Linardich, C., Bullock, R.W., Carpenter, K.E., Allen D.J., Hilton-Taylor, C., Al Mheiri, R., and Alshamsi, O. 2021. UAE National Red List of Marine Species: Reef-building corals, cartilaginous fishes and select bony fishes. 2021. Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
