The National Red List Project

Please note, this National Red List website contains a subset of data whilst we transition to national focal point driven data uploads. We thank you for your patience with this and welcome national contributors to get in touch to update their national dataset. Terms of Use including citation guidance are found here.

The previous dataset is available via: https://archive.nationalredlist.org/. This site is no longer updated but can help with most enquiries whilst we focus on redevelopment.

Scoliodon laticaudus | UAE National Red List of Marine Species: Reef-building corals, cartilaginous fishes and select bony fishes

Publication
UAE National Red List of Marine Species: Reef-building corals, cartilaginous fishes and select bony fishes
Location
Countries in Assessment
United Arab Emirates (the)
Country ISO code(s)
ARE
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Off
Scope (Assessment)
National
Taxon
Taxonomic Group
Vertebrates
Taxonomic Group Level 2
Fishes
Assessed taxon level
Species
Taxonomic Notes
The genus Scoliodon, represented by S. laticaudus, was previously considered monotypic but now consists of three species with S. macrorhynchus resurrected from the junior synonym of S. laticaudus (White et al. 2010).
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
The Spadenose Shark occurs in UAE waters on the Sea of Oman coast, and potentially the Arabian Gulf coast. Its presence in the Arabian Gulf is unclear, but historic records suggest it may occur there (Wright et al. 1990). Extensive market and fishery surveys have failed to identify it there (Moore et al. 2012, Jabado et al. 2015). Globally, it is widespread in the Indo-West Pacific (Ebert et al. 2013).
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
Yes
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
The Spadenose Shark is common in coastal and estuarine waters, preferring muddy and sandy substrates at depths up to 80 m. It attains a maximum size of 91 cm total length (TL) and males mature at 24-36 cm TL and females at 33-35.8 cm TL (Devadoss 1979, Compagno et al. 2005, Sen et al. 2018). Breeding occurs throughout the year (Devadoss 1979) and females probably mate at least once each year. This shark is placentally viviparous, with arguably the most advanced reproductive mode of the elasmobranchs. Litter sizes range from 6-20, with a mean of 13 (Devadoss 1979). Young are born throughout the year, with size at birth around 12-15 cm TL, after a gestation period of five or six months (Compagno et al. 2005). Age and growth data are limited, but the generation length is estimated at about 3.75 years (Nair 1976, Compagno et al. 2005).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Data Deficient
Assessment status abreviation
DD
Assessment rationale/justification
The Spadenose Shark occurs in UAE waters on the Sea of Oman, but is very poorly known there. It is reported as a dominant species in landings in Pakistan and India and is particularly susceptible to inshore fisheries. Due to its limited fecundity, concern exists that ongoing increases in catches will lead to recruitment overfishing. Intensive and increasing fishing means that, like many other species, populations have likely declined. Little is known on the population of this species in UAE waters and given that its distribution there remains uncertain, it is listed as Data Deficient.
About the assessment
Assessment year
2019
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
Government
IGO
Assessor affiliation specific
Government|IGO
Criteria system
Criteria system specifics
IUCN v3.1
Criteria system used
IUCN
Criteria Citation
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.
Endemism
Endemic to region
Not assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Conservation
Threats listed in assessment
Information pertaining to threats specific to the UAE are unavailable. This species is impacted by target (for fins and their valuable meat) and bycatch fisheries that are active elsewhere in its range. Marine habitats in the region have experienced high levels of disturbance and are quickly deteriorating due to major impacts from development activities (Sheppard <em style=""font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2; text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"">et al. 2010).
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures: