Taxon name
Aetomylaeus nichofii
(Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Aetomylaeus nichofii
(Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Fishes
Species authority
(Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
Aetomylaeus caerulofasciatus has recently been described as distinct from the wider-ranging Indo-West Pacific A. nichofii (White et al. 2015).
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)
A2cd
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
The Banded Eagle Ray occurs throughout UAE inshore waters, and is common. This species is not targeted or valued in markets of the UAE and trawling has been banned there since 1980. It is caught as bycatch in inshore gill net fisheries. It is under extremely intense and increasing demersal fishing pressure in much of the Arabian Sea region, and declines have been detected in Pakistan, India and the Red Sea. The loss and degradation of coastal habitats in the Gulf is a significant concern. It is especially susceptible to exploitation (target and bycatch) in many largely unregulated gill net, longline and trawl fisheries that operate within its range outside and surrounding UAE waters. Some management measures are now in place in the Arabian Sea region, although domestic fisheries are likely to continue. Though data specifically from the UAE are not available, individuals in the UAE are a component of a larger, interconnected and migratory population that occurs broadly in the north-western Indian Ocean. It is inferred that declines reported in the Arabian Sea region are representative of its status in the UAE. Based on recorded levels of exploitation and decline in habitat quality, it is suspected to have declined by at least 30% over the past three generation lengths, or about 45 years. It is listed as 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 Banded Eagle Ray occurs throughout UAE waters (Randall 1995, Carpenter 1997, Hellyer and Aspinall 2005, Environment Agency Abu Dhabi unpublished data). Globally, it is widespread in the Indo-West Pacific (Spaet and Berumen 2015, Last et al. 2016).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
The Banded Eagle Ray is a demersal species in continental shelf inshore waters to at least 115 m depth (Last and Stevens 2009). It reaches a maximum size of 72 cm disc width (DW) with males maturing at 39-42 cm DW (Last et al. 2016). Size at maturity for females is unknown, but pregnant females have been recorded in the UAE at 54.8 cm DW (R.W. Jabado pers. comm. 06/05/2017). Females are viviparous with litters of up to four young with a size at birth of 17 cm DW (Compagno and Last 1999, Last and Stevens 2009). Nothing else is known of this species' biology. Generation length estimated at 10 years based on the generation length of the Bat Ray (Myliobatis californicus) (14.5 years) (Martin and Cailliet 1988). However, it is noted that the Bat Ray is a considerably larger species (reaching 180 cm DW) than the Banded Eagle Ray.
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
This species is impacted by fisheries in the UAE and forms a relatively large portion of all landed batoids. It is impacted by bycatch fisheries that are active elsewhere in its range as well. 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.
