Taxon name
Rhabdosargus sarba
(Forsskål, 1775)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Rhabdosargus sarba
(Forsskål, 1775)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Fishes
Species authority
(Forsskål, 1775)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
A number of synonyms have been previously used for Rhabdosargus sarba, including Sparus sarba, Austrosparus sarba, Chrysophrys sarba, etc. (Smith and Smith 1986). In Australia, Whitley (1931) described Roughleyia (=Rhabdosargus) tarwhine to distinguish the eastern Australian species from the east African species. Then Munro (1949) reviewed the genus in Australia and confirmed the name Rhabdosargus sarba for the west and east Indian, and west Pacific Ocean populations. Whitley (1964) persisted with the subspecies status as Rhabdosargus sarba tarwhine for the Australian population, but this was not followed by others. The taxonomy of the Rhabdosargus sarba complex is currently under review by Yukio Iwatsuki, (Miyazaki University, Japan). Rhabdosargus sarba might be confused with R. haffara. Taxonomic review is urgently needed (Y. Iwatsuki pers. comm. 2013).
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 coastal species occurs throughout UAE waters. It is targeted by commercial fisheries along with the congener Rhabdosargus haffara, and due to similarities in appearance, landings are lumped throughout the Arabian Gulf region. It may be rare in comparison to R. haffara, but further taxonomic study is needed. The stock is considered overexploited in Abu Dhabi according to assessments conducted in 2011 and 2018. Catch in Abu Dhabi declined by 88% over the past 11 years. Its population status in neighboring areas is not well-understood, but the species is also heavily exploited elsewhere, and declining landings have also been recorded in other countries within the region. Based on stock assessments and catch data, it is inferred that this species has undergone a decline of at least 50% and possibly more over the past two generation lengths, or 15 years. With recent fisheries management measures implemented in Abu Dhabi, it is difficult to say whether fishing effort will continue to increase or decrease within the near future; however, effort in this fishery in surrounding Emirates where management measures are not stringent may increase or remain the same. Considering that other Emirates and surrounding countries that likely share this stock do not have management measures in place to reduce effort in the gargoor fishery, population declines are expected to continue. In addition, degradation of estuarine habitats is ongoing in the UAE and Arabian Gulf region. It is listed as Endangered A2bcd+A4bcd.
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. In the Arabian Gulf, it appears to be restricted to the southern portion. Globally, it is widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific (Heemstra and Heemstra 2004).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This coastal speciescan enter estuaries, but is common in shallow water and often at the surf-line or in rock pools (Frimodt 1995, Sommer et al. 1996, Allen et al. 2002). Larger, solitary individuals occasionally enter brackish mangrove areas. Juveniles in estuaries move into deeper water with growth (Bauchot and Skelton 1986). It is often observed in schools (Lieske and Myers 1994). It primarily consumes benthic invertebrates, mainly mollusks and aquatic macrophytes (Blaber 1984, Fischer et al. 1990). The maximum total length is 80 cm (Torres 1991). The maximum age in the UAE is 12 years and the mean length and age at first sexual maturity is 24.6 cm total length and 2.95 years (Farrag et al. 2017). When applying an age at first reproduction of 2.95 years and longevity of 12 years, its estimated generation length is 7.5 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. 2011). Coastal development in the UAE and Arabian Gulf region, which includes degradation of estuaries, may also impact this species.
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.
