Taxon name
Rhabdosargus haffara
(Forsskål, 1775)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Rhabdosargus haffara
(Forsskål, 1775)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Fishes
Species authority
(Forsskål, 1775)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
The type locality of this species is in the Red Sea. The Red Sea specimen is significantly genetically different from the Arabian Gulf specimens. Further study is needed to clarify the taxonomic status of this species (Y. Iwatsuki pers. comm. 2013).
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
Data deficient
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This coastal species occurs throughout UAE waters. It is targeted by commercial fisheries along with its congener Rhabdosargus sarba, and due to similarities in appearance, landings are lumped throughout the Arabian Gulf region. The stock of R. sarba is considered overexploited in Abu Dhabi, and declining landings have also been recorded in other countries within the region. Based on the uncertainty regarding the population trend of this exploited species, it is listed as Data Deficient in UAE waters. Improvements in fisheries management are needed.
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 has a disjunct distribution, with one subpopulation restricted to the Red Sea, and the other restricted to the southern Arabian Gulf from Bahrain to the United Arab Emirates to the Omani coast along the Sea of Oman (Bauchot and Smith 1984, Randall 1995).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species inhabits shallow waters, mainly around coral reefs, as well as on sandy or mud-sandy bottoms (Bauchot and Smith 1984). It primarily consumes molluscs, and to a lesser extent, crustaceans. The maximum total length is 35 cm (Sommer et al. 1996). In the Arabian Gulf, the maximum recorded age of Rhabdosargus sarbais 8 years (El-Agamy 1989). The mean age and size at sexual maturity off Abu Dhabi is 2 years and 23.5 cm for males and 2.1 years and 23.7 cm for females (Grandcourt et al. 2011). When applying an age at first reproduction of 2 years and longevity of 8 years, its estimated generation length is 5 years based on the following equation recommended by the IUCN Red List methods: Age at first reproduction + (Age at last reproduction -“ age at first reproduction)/2.
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Overfishing is a major threat to this species in the UAE (Grandcourt et al. 2011). 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.
