Taxon name
Mobula kuhlii
(Müller & Henle, 1841)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Mobula kuhlii
(Müller & Henle, 1841)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Fishes
Species authority
(Müller & Henle, 1841)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
Combined morphological and molecular data led Last et al. (2016) and White et al. (2017) to conclude that M. eregoodootenkee is a junior synonym of M. kuhlii. However, Hosegood et al. (2019) suggested these were separate species, which was supported by Notarbartolo di Sciara et al. (2020), who also clarified the nomenclature as M. eregoodoo.
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
Near Threatened
Qualifying criteria (if given)
A2d
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
The Shortfin Devil Ray occurs throughout UAE waters and may be locally common there. This species is not targeted or valued in markets of the UAE and capture of this species is totally banned there. When captured in the Arabian Gulf and Sea of Oman, it is typically discarded alive, and significant declines are not suspected there at this time. It is a component of the bycatch in several fisheries (e.g., Pakistan), and is directly targeted in Sri Lanka and India. Its low productivity causes it to be susceptible to rapid population declines, and severe declines have recently been confirmed from Pakistan (over the past three years). 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, it is suspected to have declined by 20-30% over the past three generation lengths, or about 23 years. It is listed as Near Threatened, nearly meeting the thresholds for Vulnerable A2d.
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 Shortfin Devil Ray occurs throughout UAE waters. Globally, it is widespread in the tropical Indo-West Pacific (Notarbartolo di Sciara et al. 2017).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
The Shortfin Devil Ray is an uncommon inshore, primarily shelf pelagic species found in continental coastal areas but not extending into the epipelagic zone (Compagno and Last 1999). This species reaches a maximum size of about 119 cm disc width (DW) (White et al. 2006b). Males mature at 103-“119 cm (DW) (White et al. 2006b, Notarbartolo di Sciara et al. 2017) and size at birth is around 31 cm DW (Compagno and Last 1999). As with all Myliobatiformes, the reproductive mode of M. kuhlii is livebearing and histotrophic, with embryonic nutrition supplied from a protein- and lipid-rich histotroph from highly developed trophonemata. A single, relatively large pup is produced per litter (Compagno and Last 1999, White et al. 2006b). Intrinsically, Manta and Mobula rays have among the lowest productivity of any chondrichthyan (Pardo et al. 2016). Long resting periods may account for extended reproductive cycles in mobulid species. As there are not enough data to estimate an exact generation length for this species, an approximate, suspected generation length is used. A midway point of 7.5 years between a very conservative low of five years, and the larger Spinetail Devil Ray's 10-year generation length is suspected to be the approximate generation length for the Shortfin Devil Ray until more accurate information becomes available (Cuevas-Zimbron et al. 2013).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Information pertaining to threats specific to the UAE is unavailable. This species is impacted by target (for fins and their valuable meat) and bycatch fisheries that are active elsewhere in its range. Manta rays are easy to target because of their large size, slow swimming speed, aggregation behaviour and predictable habitat use.
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.
