Taxon name
Lutjanus argentimaculatus
(Forsskål, 1775)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Lutjanus argentimaculatus
(Forsskål, 1775)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Fishes
Species authority
(Forsskål, 1775)
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
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This reef and estuarine-associated species occurs throughout UAE waters. It is heavily exploited and very highly-valued in the Arabian Gulf, including the UAE. A 2013 Abu Dhabi stock assessment concluded it is overexploited, especially due to the high rate of juvenile retention, which has led to growth overfishing. Though catch quantity has been relatively low over the time period from 2009-2018, it has virtually disappeared from fisheries catch on both coasts of the UAE. In addition, mangrove and estuarine degradation in the Arabian Gulf region is serious, and a likely additional threat to nursery habitat for this species. The status of population(s) outside the UAE is not well-understood, but it is exploited elsewhere as well. Based on stock assessment, catch data and fish market observations, this species is inferred to have declined by at least 50% or possibly more than 80% over at least half of a generation length, or the past decade. Three generation lengths is about 75 years, but data are not available to calculate a decline over this period. Considering this species is particularly long-lived and late to maturity, it is intrinsically susceptible to declines from overexploitation. Assuming that the population was stable previous to 2009, we suspect a decline of at least 50% with an expected continuing decline due to fishing effort trends. It is listed as Endangered A2bcd.
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 widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific (Anderson and Allen 2001). Its depth range is 1 to 120 m (Lieske and Myers 1994).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This reef-associated species often occur in groups around coral reefs and sometimes extends to depths in excess of 100 m. Juveniles and young adults occur in mangrove estuaries, as well as the lower reaches of freshwater streams and tidal creeks (Lieske and Myers 1994, Sommer et al. 1996, Russell et al. 2003). This nocturnal species consumes fishes and crustaceans (Anderson and Allen 2001). The maximum total length is 150 cm (Torres 1991). The natural mortality for this species is measured at 0.158 (Russell et al. 2003). In a cooler part of its range, off eastern Australia, it has been aged at up to 57 years old (Piddocke et al. 2015). Spawning occurs off Abu Dhabi from September to October, longevity is estimated to be 37 years and the mean age and size at first sexual maturity is 14 years and 56.4 cm fork length for females and 13 years and 55.8 cm for males (Grandcourt et al. 2013). When applying an age at first reproduction of 14 years and longevity of 37 years, its estimated generation length is 25.5 years based on the following equation recommended by the IUCN Red List methods: Age at first reproduction + (Age at last reproduction -“ age at first reproduction)/2.
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Overfishing is a major threat to this species in the UAE (Grandcourt et al. 2013). In addition, juveniles are dependent on mangroves and associated freshwater-influenced areas, which is a habitat that has been destroyed or severely degraded in the Arabian Gulf region as a result of coastal development (A. Al-Kuwari, E. Abdulqader, F. Kaymaram, K. Al-Khalaf, J. Bishop, Q. Alghawzi, S. Alam, S. Hartmann pers. comm. 2013). Historically, mangrove area declined on the Arabian Gulf coast of the UAE, but since the 1990s, mangrove area has increased somewhat in part due to restoration efforts. The percent decline over the entire time period of three generation lengths is poorly understood. 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.
