Taxon name
Gymnarrhena micrantha
Desf.
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Gymnarrhena micrantha
Desf.
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
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
Critically Endangered
Qualifying criteria (if given)
B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This species was recorded in 1988 from a single location on Jebel Hafeet, where it was found near the lower radio tower. The species has not apparently been recorded by subsequent surveys on the mountain. The species is considered to occur in a single location, based on the primary threat of grazing, and with a restricted area of occupancy and extent of occurrence estimated at just 4 km<sup>2</sup>, with a continuing decline in the quality of habitat as a result of grazing pressure. The species is assessed as Critically Endangered (CR B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)), Regionally Possibly Extinct due to the extent of habitat conversion that has occurred in the area where the species was recorded. The species was reported (Jongbloed 1988) from adjacent parts of Oman, on Jebel Qatar, however the status of those populations is not known, and no regional rescue adjustment is applied.
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 has been recorded from Jebel Hafeet, where it was found near the lower radio tower (Jongbloed 1988). Jongbloed (1988) reported that the species is also known from adjacent parts of Oman, on Jebel Qatar. The species has not apparently been recorded by subsequent surveys on the mountain. The global range of this species is across North Africa, through much of the Arabian Peninsula (including the UAE) to Pakistan and central Asia (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This small prostrate annual was found on silt among rocks (Jongbloed et al. 2003).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
The primary threat is from development (road construction and other works) and recreational use of the area. Grazing by wild (tahr and gazelles) and feral (goats) animals (Sakkir et al. 2018) is an additional threat.
History
When first recorded, it was considered to be rare and Critically Endangered. Failure to rediscover this species since its initial discovery in 1988 has led it to be considered as 'Possibly Extinct' now, although in 1996 it may have been considered as still extant.
Publication
Allen, D.J., Westrip, J.R.S., Puttick, A., Harding, K.A., Hilton-Taylor, C. and Ali, H. 2021. UAE National Red List of Vascular Plants. Technical Report. Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates, Dubai.
