Taxon name
Gerres oyena
(Forsskål, 1775)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Gerres oyena
(Forsskål, 1775)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Fishes
Species authority
(Forsskål, 1775)
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
Least Concern
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This demersal, inshore species is common and abundant throughout UAE waters. Fishing activity is not known to be causing population declines at this time. There are no known major threats; therefore, it is listed as Least Concern in the UAE.
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 occurs throughout UAE waters. Globally, it is widespread in the Indo-West Pacific (Randall et al. 1997, Iwatsuki et al. 1999, Kapoor et al. 2002, Rajan et al. 2011, Allen and Erdmann 2012). The depth range is 1 to 30 m (Randall 1995, Woodland 2001).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This speciesinhabits inshore areas on silty-sand and mud bottoms down along the coast in saltwater lagoons and estuaries (Iwatsuki et al. 1999, Woodland 2001, Allen and Erdmann 2012). It also occurs in soft-bottom habitats in reef areas, and utilizes estuaries with turtle grasses and mangroves as nursery areas (Yeeting 1990). It occurs singly or in groups and feeds on small, benthic invertebrates (Lieske and Myers 1994, Woodland 2001). It migrates to coastal areas or oceanside inshore areas to spawn (Kanak and Tachihara 2006). Females and males reach sexual maturity around 10.4 and 9.2 cm standard length, respectively, and longevity is at least 8 years (Kanak and Tachihara 2008). The maximum length is 40 cm (Yeeting 1990).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Fishing activity is not known to be driving declines in the UAE at this time. Anthropogenic modification of estuarine habitats, which is pervasive in the Arabian Gulf region, may impact this species. Corals in the UAE and Arabian Gulf have severely declined due to the increasing frequency of mass bleaching events caused by rising water temperatures, which is a consequence of climate change, as well as pervasive coastal development (Riegl et al. 2018, Burt et al. 2019).
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.
