Taxon name
Decapterus macrosoma
Bleeker, 1851
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Decapterus macrosoma
Bleeker, 1851
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Fishes
Species authority
Bleeker, 1851
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
This species has frequently been misidentified in the literature as Decapterus macarellus (W. Smith-Vaniz pers. comm. 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
Least Concern
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
In the UAE, this pelagic speciesoccurs only in the Sea of Oman. Fishing activity is not expected 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
In the UAE, this species occurs only in the Sea of Oman. It is excluded from the Arabian Gulf. Globally, it is widespread in the tropical Indo-Pacific (Smith-Vaniz 1995, Mundy 2005, R. Myers pers. comm. 2016). This species has frequently been misidentified in the literature as Decapterus macarellus (W. Smith-Vaniz pers. comm. 2015). The depth range is 30 to 214 m (Mundy 2005).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species schools mostly in open waters and is common in insular habitats (Smith-Vaniz 1984). It is occasionally seen in small groups along reef slopes adjacent to deep water in pursuit of zooplankton (Smith-Vaniz 1995, Kuiter and Tonozuka 2001, Mundy 2005). The maximum total lengthis 35 cm, although it is common to find individuals of 25 cm (Smith-Vaniz 1986). It lives to at least five years of age (Shiraishi et al. 2010).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Fishing activity is not known to be driving declines in the UAE at this time. 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.
