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NRLD - 330159 | Neophocaena phocaenoides

Assessment ID
330159
Taxon name
Neophocaena phocaenoides
(G. Cuvier, 1829)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Neophocaena phocaenoides
(G. Cuvier, 1829)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Mammals
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
chordata
Class
mammalia
Order
cetartiodactyla
Family
phocoenidae
Genus
Neophocaena
Species
phocaenoides
Species authority
(G. Cuvier, 1829)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
The recognition of two externally distinct morphological forms of Finless Porpoises as separate biological species, the Indo-Pacific Finless Porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) and the Narrow-ridged Finless Porpoise (N. asiaeorientalis), was accepted only recently when it was demonstrated that the two forms are reproductively isolated (and likely have been separated since the last glacial maximum) even though they occur sympatrically in a fairly large area of eastern Asia (Wang et al. 2008, Jefferson and Wang 2011). [Much of the literature published before ca 2010 refers to all Finless Porpoises (both species) as N. phocaenoides.] Differences in the external morphology of the dorsal aspect of the two species are distinguishable even amongst free-ranging animals (as opposed to only specimens in-hand) (Wang et al. 2010). Intermediates between the two main forms have never been reported even though several hundreds to thousands of carcasses have been examined. The two species also clearly differ in craniometry (Amano et al. 1992, Jefferson 2002). There is evidence to suggest subpopulation structure within Indo-Pacific Finless Porpoises in some areas (Jefferson 2002, Yang et al. 2008, Chen et al. 2010, Xu et al. 2010, Li et al. 2011, Ju et al. 2012, L. Li et al. 2013, S. Li et al. 2013, Jia et al. 2014, Lin et al. 2014) and this may apply throughout much of the species' distribution.
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)
Country ISO code(s)
ARE
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Not_assigned
Conservation Status
Assessed as
Endangered
Abbreviated status
EN
Qualifying criteria (if given)
A2bc; C2a(i); D
Criteria system used
IUCN

(see Assessment details)

Assessment rationale/justification
Preen (2004) reported a 71% decline in small species of dolphins in the Arabian Gulf from 1986 to 1999, which included this species. There is no information available on decline rates in the individual species, so based on the assumption that they all declined equally it appears reasonable to infer a population reduction of >50% for Neophocaena phocaenoides over the past three generations (45 years). The species, therefore, qualifies for assessment as Endangered (EN) under criterion A2bc. The reduction was due to a combination of pressures including declining habitat quality because of increasing coastal development, bycatch, collision with boats and declines in fish stocks. The decline is continuing but it is not possible to say if it is at the same rate. The species also qualifies for listing as EN under criterion C2a(i) and under criterion D as the population size is less than 250 mature individuals. The species might qualify for listing as Critically Endangered under criterion C2a(ii) if it is determined that the UAE animals are a single subpopulation. There is no rescue effect, as the species does not move that far; the species tends to be very localised in its occurrence.
Assessment details
Year assessed
2018
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
All UAE records, apart from several from Dubai, are from the waters off western Abu Dhabi, with concentrations in the Marawah Island and Sila'a areas (Aspinall and Baldwin 1999). Collins et al. (2005) considered there to be a more or less contiguous distribution along the western and southern margins of the Arabian Gulf. Globally, the species occurs in a narrow strip of shallow (usually (<) 50 m deep) coastal marine waters, as well as some river mouths and estuaries, around the northern rim of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans eastwards to Indonesia and north to central Chinese waters (Wang and Reeves 2017).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Terrestrial
Not_assigned
Freshwater
Not_assigned
Marine
Not_assigned
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
The shallow channels between sandbanks and mangrove-lined islands, typical of western UAE waters, are apparently a favoured habitat. It has been seen close to shore off Dubai. Throughout its range, the Indo-Pacific Finless Porpoise favours shallow inshore waters, including mangrove areas, lagoons and estuaries (Pilleri and Gihr 1974, Reeves et al. 1997, Aspinall and Baldwin 1999, Preen 2004, Jefferson and Hung 2004) and this makes it particularly vulnerable to bycatch and anthropogenic impacts (Collins et al. 2005).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
The main threats to cetaceans in UAE waters include: incidental mortality in trawl and drift nets, depletion of prey populations (due in part to commercial overfishing); ship and boat strikes, offshore oil and gas exploration; noise from shipping, submarine sonar and oil and gas rigs. A UAE Fisheries Resource Assessment Survey in 2002 found that fish stocks in the Gulf had declined by 60%. Inshore and shallow-water species are further threatened by entanglement in abandoned fishing gear; coastal development including port and harbour construction, dredging, land reclamation, residential and tourist development; pollution (oil and hydrocarbons) and damage to feeding grounds in seagrass beds and reefs. During surveys by EAD, a large number of dolphins were observed with scars that were attributed to propeller cuts, indicating that vessel strike is a major threat to dolphin populations in Abu Dhabi waters (EAD 2015). A lack of information on most species (e.g. population size and trend, the location of critical areas, and feeding ecology) hinders the development of appropriate conservation actions.
History
Hornby (1996) assessed the species as Critically Endangered. It is not clear what criteria would have been used in 1996, but likely to have been assessed under criteria different than those currently applied by IUCN, and we consider Endangered to be the appropriate backcasted category in 1996 (under criteria A2bc; C2a(i); D), as it appears that Hornby was not aware of the declines in the species between 1986 and 1999 as reported by Preen (2004).
Publication
Mallon, D., Hilton-Taylor, C., Allen, D., & Harding, K. (2019). UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial. A report to the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates (p. 41). IUCN Global Species Programme. https://bit.ly/2RdZCQR