Taxon name
Pateobatis jenkinsii
(Annandale, 1909)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Pateobatis jenkinsii
(Annandale, 1909)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Fishes
Species authority
(Annandale, 1909)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
Last et al. (2016) described the genus Pateobatis, consisting of five medium-size to very large, marine whiprays previously placed in Himantura (including jenkinsii).This species has probably been misidentified as Himantura (=Pateobatis) fai in the literature (W. White pers. obs). More specimens of both this species and of H. draco from South Africa need to be examined to resolve the taxonomic status of this species. Presently, H. draco is considered a synonym of P. jenkinsii. The South African species had dark spots along the posterior margin of the disc, but this form has also been reported from the Arafura Sea and off Sumatra in Indonesia. It is possible that these may in fact be colour forms of the same species. Examples of specimens with dark spots along the posterior margin of the disc are from the Arafura Sea, Sumatra (Last and Stevens 1994, Fahmi pers. obs. 2007), and from western Sri Lanka (Morón et al. 1998, Manjaji 2004), and the Sulu Sea (B.M. Manjaji-Matsumoto pers. obs. 2002).
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 Jenkins' Whipray occurs throughout UAE inshore waters. It is very poorly known in the Arabian Sea region due to confusion with Pateobatis fai (the Pink Whipray) and results from a recent taxonomic revision. It is presumably taken incidentally in net and longline fisheries, and fishing pressure is intense and increasing in the Arabian Sea region, particularly in India and Pakistan. Whiprays are generally discarded as bycatch in the Arabian Gulf and Sea of Oman. 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 60 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 Jenkins' Whipray occurs throughout UAE waters. Globally, it is widespread but patchy in the Indo-West Pacific. Its distribution is not well defined due to recent taxonomic changes and the re-identification of stingrays (Dasyatidae) from the region (Last et al. 2016). Records from Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka need confirmation. Further taxonomic revisions and surveys in the Arabian Sea region are required to determine its distribution.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species is an inshore ray, usually found on sandy bottoms down to at least 90 m deep (Manjaji 2004, White et al. 2006, Last et al. 2016). It attains a maximum size of at least 150 cm disc width (DW) (~300 cm total length) (White et al. 2006, Last et al. 2016). Males mature at about 75-85 cm DW and size at birth is around 23 cm DW (White and Dharmadi 2007). Reproduction is viviparous with histotrophy (White et al. 2006). As there is no information on this species' maximum age and age at maturity, generation length was inferred as ~20 years based on data for Blackspotted Whipray (Maculabatis astra) (Jacobsen and Bennett 2011). However, it is noted that the Blackspotted Whipray grows to a much smaller maximum size (80 cm DW) than Jenkins' Whipray (150 cm DW).
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.
