Taxon name
Maculabatis randalli
(Last, Manjaji-Matsumoto & Moore, 2012)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Maculabatis randalli
(Last, Manjaji-Matsumoto & Moore, 2012)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Fishes
Species authority
(Last, Manjaji-Matsumoto & Moore, 2012)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
Last et al. (2016) described the genus Maculabatis to consist of nine medium to large, marine whiprays previously placed in Himantura (including randalli).
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 species is currently deemed to be endemic to the Arabian Gulf, and in the UAE, occurs on the Gulf coast. This species is not targeted or valued in markets of the UAE, trawling has been banned there since 1980 and recently conducted surveys indicate it remains relatively common in the area. It is common in shallow waters throughout the Gulf. It is likely discarded as bycatch in trawl and gill net fisheries. Declines approaching a Near Threatened or threatened level are not suspected at this time; therefore, it is listed as Least Concern. The loss and modification of coastal habitats in the UAE area may represent a significant concern, and this requires further study.
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)
Endemism Notes
Endemism Notes
Endemic to the Arabian Gulf
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
The Arabian Banded Whipray occurs in UAE waters from the Arabian Gulf coast, and is endemic to the Gulf (Last et al. 2012). Reports from Iran in the northern Sea of Oman (Roohi Aminjan and Malek 2016, Rastgoo et al. 2018) require verification. It may be easily confused with its congener, Maculabatis gerrardi (Last et al. 2016, Ali et al. 2018).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species occurs in soft bottom habitats, from shallow depths to 60 m. It reaches a maximum size of 62 cm disc width (DW), males are mature at 40 cm DW, and size at birth is 15-17 cm DW (Last et al. 2012, Last et al. 2016).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
The main threat to this species is incidental capture in trawl and gillnet fisheries. Marine habitats in the Gulf are experiencing high levels of disturbance and quickly deteriorating due to major impacts from development activities (including dredging and reclamation), desalination plants, industrial activities, habitat destruction through the removal of shallow productive areas and major shipping lanes (Sheppard et al. 2010).
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.
