Aetobatus flagellum | (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
SIS Taxon ID
169243577
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Kingdom
Species
Scientific Name
Aetobatus flagellum
Is SIS
On
Aetobatus flagellum | UAE National Red List of Marine Species: Reef-building corals, cartilaginous fishes and select bony fishes
Publication
Taxa
Aetobatus flagellum | (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
Taxonomic Group
Vertebrates
Taxonomic Group Level 2
Fishes
Assessed taxon level
Species
Taxonomic Notes
This species was previously considered to be conspecific with Aetobatus narutobiei, but the species have since been shown to differ genetically and morphologically (White and Moore 2013).
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
The Longhead Eagle Ray occurs throughout UAE waters. Globally, it is patchily distributed in the Indo-West Pacific from the Arabian Sea region to Indonesia and Malaysia (Last et al. 2016).
Asessment status in full
Endangered
Assessment status abreviation
EN
Assessment status criteria
A2d
Assessment year
2019
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
Government
IGO
Assessor affiliation specific
Government|IGO
Assessment rationale/justification
This inshore eagle ray occurs throughout UAE waters, but little is known on its population there. It may be taken as bycatch in inshore gillnet fisheries. Most of the distribution of the species in the Arabian Sea region is under extremely intense and increasing demersal fishing pressure, especially off India. Furthermore, the loss and modification of coastal habitats in the Arabian Gulf is a significant concern, especially since this species is known to rely on estuaries during part of its life history. Its relative rarity, large size, and low productivity makes this species particularly susceptible to population decline. Though data specifically from the UAE are not available, individuals in the UAE are a component of a larger, interconnected and migratory population that occurs broadly in the north-western Indian Ocean. Given the intense fishing pressures faced by this species throughout the Arabian Seas, and ongoing threats from bycatch and habitat loss, it is inferred that declines reported in the Arabian Seas are representative of the status in the UAE. Based on recorded levels of exploitation, it is suspected to have declined by at least 50% over the past three generation lengths, or about 45 years. It is listed as Endangered A2d.
Criteria system specifics
IUCN v3.1
Criteria system used
IUCN
Criteria Citation
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.
Endemic to region
Not_assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Threats listed in assessment
Information pertaining to threats to this species in UAE waters are unavailable. Generally, the Longhead Eagle Ray is highly susceptible to a variety of inshore demersal fisheries, including trawls and gill nets. In the Arabian Sea region, it occurs in areas of intense demersal trawl activity. Marine habitats in the Arabian 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), which is likely to impact this species.
Conservation Measures
Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:
Verified entry
Off