Taxon name
Gymnura poecilura
(Shaw, 1804)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Gymnura poecilura
(Shaw, 1804)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Fishes
Species authority
(Shaw, 1804)
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
Near Threatened
Qualifying criteria (if given)
A2cd
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
The Longtail Butterfly Ray occurs throughout UAE inshore waters. It is not targeted or valued in markets of the UAE, trawling has been banned there since 1980 and recently conducted surveys have detected it in the area. It is regularly caught in shallow water trawls and is normally discarded at sea in the Arabian Gulf and Red Sea, but is retained in Pakistan and India. Though data specifically from the UAE are not available, and it is not known how individuals occupying the UAE are connected with the broader population of the Arabian Seas region, there is no information available to suggest that its population status differs in the UAE as compared to other parts of its range in the region. Given the threats faced by this species in other parts of the Arabian Seas region, and ongoing threats from discarding and habitat loss in the UAE, it is inferred that declines reported in the Arabian Seas are representative of the status in the UAE. Based on recorded levels of exploitation and decline in habitat quality, it is suspected to have declined by 20-30% over the past three generation lengths, or about 45 years. It is listed as Near Threatened, nearly meeting the thresholds for Vulnerable A2cd.
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
The Longtail Butterfly Ray occurs throughout UAE waters. Globally, it is widespread in the Indo-West Pacific.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
The Longtail Butterfly Ray occurs in shallow, inshore waters to a depth of at least 30 m, typically on sand or mud substrate (James 1966, Last et al. 2016). Its attains a maximum size of 104 cm disc width (DW) with males maturing at about 35 cm DW and females at 41 cm DW (Last et al. 2016). Size at birth is reported at 22-26 cm DW, but little else is known about the biology of this species. Fecundity appears to be low, being reported up to seven pups/litter, and females are known to commonly abort embryos upon capture. It is important to note that biological information on this species requires clarification as life-history traits vary greatly in the available literature and there might be some unresolved taxonomic questions regarding the species in the Arabian Sea region (e.g., Henderson et al. 2016, Last et al. 2016, Muktha et al. 2018). Generation length is estimated from the similar-sized Backwater Butterfly Ray (Gymnura natalensis) from South Africa that matures at 6 years and reaches a maximum age of 24, yielding a generation length of 15 years (van der Elst 1988).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Information pertaining to threats specific to the UAE are unavailable. This species is impacted by bycatch fisheries that are active elsewhere in its range. Marine habitats in the Gulf are experiencing high levels of disturbance and quickly deteriorating due to major impacts from development activities (including dredging and reclamation), desalination plants, industrial activities, habitat destruction through the removal of shallow productive areas and major shipping lanes (Sheppard et al. 2010).
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.
