Taxon name
Planiliza klunzingeri
(Day, 1888)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Planiliza klunzingeri
(Day, 1888)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Fishes
Species authority
(Day, 1888)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
The taxonomy of species in the Mugilidae family is complex and under revision (Durand and Borsa 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
Assessed as
Data deficient
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This inshore and estuarine species is not yet confirmed to occur in UAE Arabian Gulf waters, but has been detected in mullet fisheries catch on the Sea of Oman coast. It rarely occurs in the catch, and its population status there is very poorly understood. In addition, the difficulty in distinguishing the mullet species taxonomically and easy confusion with other mullet species in the catch prevents an understanding of their status. It is a commercially important species elsewhere in the Arabian Gulf, and overfishing is considered to have contributed to declines. In addition, habitat loss due to cessation of rivers and coastal development in the Gulf has also caused declines. The status of population(s) outside the UAE is not well-understood, but declines have been recorded in Kuwait, Iran and Bahrain. Little is known on its distribution and population status in UAE waters; therefore, it is listed as Data Deficient. Improvements in fisheries monitoring 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
In UAE waters, this species occurs on the Sea of Oman coast, but its presence on the Arabian Gulf coast is not yet confirmed, in part due to confusion with other mullet species. Globally, it is restricted to the northern Indian Ocean where it occurs from the Arabian Gulf to India (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 inshore waters and ascends rivers for feeding (M. Almukhtar pers. comm. 2014). It consumes detritus, algae, and small benthic invertebrates (Carpenter et al. 1997). It spawns from December to May in the Arabian Gulf, with a peak in December and the mean length at 50% sexual maturity is 15.4 cm (Elahi et al. 2012). The maximum length is 20 cm (Carpenter et al. 1997), age at first reproduction is about 2 years (Hakimelahi et al. 2010) and maximum age is about 5 years (M. Al-Husaini pers. comm. 2014). When applying an age at first reproduction of 2 years and longevity of 5 years, its estimated generation length is 3.5 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
Major threats to this species in the Arabian Gulf include overfishing and habitat loss due to cessation of rivers and coastal development (E. Abdulqader, F. Kaymaram, J. Bishop, K. Al-Khalaf, M. Al-Husaini, M. Almukhtar, Q. Alghawzi, S. Alam, and S. Hartmann pers. comm. 2014).
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.
