Taxon name
Aethaloperca rogaa
(Forsskål, 1775)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Aethaloperca rogaa
(Forsskål, 1775)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Fishes
Species authority
(Forsskål, 1775)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
Based on molecular phylogenetic analysis, Craig and Hastings (2007) included the species Aetheloperca rogaa within the genus Cephalopholis.
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 reef-associated species occurs throughout UAE waters, but is currently relatively rare. According to anecdotal information on catch observations from about 30 years ago, it may have been more common previously. Fishing activity may have caused population declines in the past, but little data are available. Due to the lack of information on its population status in the UAE and potential major threat from fishing and possibly coral reef habitat decline, it is listed as Data Deficient in the UAE.
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. Its depth range is 1 to 60 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 coastal reefs and lagoons, often over silty bottoms, or near/in caves and holes in the reef (Heemstra and Randall 1993). It also commonly occurs on reefs without high coral cover. Small juveniles (< 6.0 cm total length) mimic Centropyge flavicauda, C. multispinis, and C. flavipectoralis (Snyder et al. 2001). It primarily feeds on small fishes (including Pempheris spp.), also on stomatopods (Pseudosquilla spp.) and crustaceans (Morgans 1982). This species spawns throughout the year and matures at about 35 cm standard length (Morgans 1982). It is not known to form spawning aggregations (Society for the Conservation of Reef Fish Aggregations database accessed January 2017). In Australia, an experimental line fishing trials examined 52 individuals of this species that measured between 25 to 47 cm total length and reported the ages as ranging from 13 to 18 years (Mapleston et al. 2009).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Fishing activity may cause declines in the UAE, but this is poorly understood. Its occurrence in the trap (gargoor) fishery as ghost fishing may also cause mortality in this species. 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.
