Taxon name
Crenimugil seheli
(Forsskål, 1775)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Crenimugil seheli
(Forsskål, 1775)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Fishes
Species authority
(Forsskål, 1775)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
The taxonomy of species in the Mugilidae family is complex, and under revision (Durand and Borsa 2015). This species is commonly referred to as Valamugil seheli in the literature. According to Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes, it is now valid as Crenimugil seheli.
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 inshore species occurs throughout UAE waters. It is exploited throughout the UAE, and the stock in Abu Dhabi was considered fully exploited as of 2010. Since 2007, or over the past 11 years (approximately 1.5 generation lengths), catch declined by about 86%. Fishing effort trends are not well-understood. It is also exploited in areas neighboring the UAE. An updated stock assessment is expected to occur in 2020, and until then, the status of its population in the UAE is poorly understood; therefore, it is listed as Data Deficient. Improvements in fisheries monitoring are needed.
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 (Harrison and Senou 1999).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species schools in shallow coastal waters, and is known to enter lagoons, estuaries, and freshwater rivers to feed. Mass shoaling takes place at sea during spawning. It consumes various algae, diatoms, foraminiferans, and detritus associated with sand and mud (Harrison and Senou 1999). The maximum total length is 60 cm (Lieske and Myers 1994). Spawning occurs from February to April in the southern Arabian Gulf, age and size at sexual maturity for males and females are 4.5 years and 38 cm and 4 years and 41.8 cm, respectively, and the maximum age is 9 years (Grandcourt et al. 2010). When applying an age at first reproduction of 4 years and longevity of 9 years, its estimated generation length is 6.5 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 potential major threat to this species in the UAE and surrounding areas. In addition, estuaries and nearshore habitats have been seriously degraded in the Arabian Gulf region.
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.
