Taxon name
Spergularia marina
(L.) Griseb.
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Spergularia marina
(L.) Griseb.
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Species authority
(L.) Griseb.
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
Qualifying criteria (if given)
B1ab(iii)
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This species is generally recorded from two localities in the UAE, although further scattered localities may also form part of its range. If these are taken into consideration, the maximum extent of occurrence (EOO) for the species is estimated be between 812-2,709 km<sup>2</sup>. In addition, Spergularia marina is experiencing ongoing decline in habitat extent and quality due to coastal development within its range, and is estimated to occur in less than ten threat-based locations. Therefore, this species is assessed as Vulnerable (VU B1ab(iii)).
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
Within the UAE, this species has been recorded from Abu Dhabi and Digdaga, in addition to along the Dibba to Khor Fakkan road (Jongbloed et al. 2003) and in Hatta. It is suggested to have a very localised distribution along the east coast, although G. Feulner does not know this species from this area (G. Feulner pers. comm. 2019). Its maximum EOO was initially estimated to be 2,709 km<sup>2</sup> when including a locality at Ras al-Khaimah, however, when excluding this locality (as this species presence is currently uncertain here), the EOO estimate is 812 km<sup>2</sup>. There are considered to be less than ten locations according to the major threats to this species. Its native range spans across the temperate northern hemisphere in addition to South America (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
It is an annual herb species that can be found in plantations (El-Keblawy and Abdelfatah 2014, Mahmoud et al. 2018). This plant grows up to 25 cm in height, has fleshy linear leaves and produces pink and white flowers between February and April (Jongbloed et al. 2003). It appears to prefer shaded sites but can also tolerate saline soils (Jongbloed et al. 2003). MEW (2010) gave the habitat as ""moist locations in gravel and sand"".
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
This species is threatened by coastal development along the east coast of the UAE.
History
There have been increasing levels of development along the East coast of the UAE since 1996, and so it is assessed as being Near Threatened in 1996, whereas now it is Vulnerable.
Publication
Allen, D.J., Westrip, J.R.S., Puttick, A., Harding, K.A., Hilton-Taylor, C. and Ali, H. 2021. UAE National Red List of Vascular Plants. Technical Report. Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates, Dubai.
