NRLD - 329902 | Sclerophrys arabica

Assessment ID

329902

Taxon name

Sclerophrys arabica

(Heyden, 1827)

Uploaded by

National Red List Database

Taxonomic information

Scientific name

Sclerophrys arabica

(Heyden, 1827)

Assessed taxon level

Species

Higher level taxonomic groupings

Vertebrates

Amphibians

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

chordata

Class

amphibia

Order

anura

Family

bufonidae

Genus

Sclerophrys

Species

arabica

Species authority

(Heyden, 1827)

Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed

According to Stöck et al. (2001), the taxonomy and nomenclature of this species requires aData deficientitional research, since the specimen considered the holotype by Balletto et al. (1985) is not that one described by Heyden (1827). Bufo hadramautinus Cherchi 1963 was synonymized with Bufo arabicus by Schätti and Desvoignes (1999). This species was under the generic name Duttaphrynus but is now treated under Sclerophrys (Frost 2016).

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)

Country ISO code(s)

ARE

Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?

Not_assigned

Conservation Status

Assessed as

Least Concern

Abbreviated status

Criteria system used

IUCN

(see Assessment details)

Assessment rationale/justification

This species is listed as Least Concern in view of its moderately wide distribution, tolerance of a broad range of habitats, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category. This taxon is not a non-breeding visitor, and it is presumed that any immigration from populations outside the UAE is not significant, and therefore there is no adjustment to the Category according to the IUCN regional and national Guidelines (IUCN 2012).

Assessment details

Year assessed

2018

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 United Arab Emirates, this species is found in association with surface water throughout the Hajar Mountains and is especially common in areas with permanent water (Cunningham and Feulner 2005). It is recorded from sea level to 1,100 m asl within the United Arab Emirates (Gardner 2013, Soorae et al. 2013, Burriel-Carranza et al. in press).The species lays eggs in artificial or treated sewage water-fed drains and falaj system in Al Ain Zoo and dry wadis nearby (M.A.R. Khan pers. comm. 2018), however, it is unclear if these populations are natural or introduced. The species were introduced in the Ruwais area of Abui Dhabi where it was recorded from artificial ponds within a residential complex (G.R. Feulner pers. comm. 2018).Globally, the species ranges from northwestern Saudi Arabia, through the western mountains south to Yemen, northern Oman (absent from southern Oman) and the United Arab Emirates (Heyden 1827, Balletto et al. 1985, Schätti and Desvoignes 1999, Stöck et al. 2001, Frost 2016).

Is there a map available in assessment?

Yes

Habitat and systems

Ecological system type

Terrestrial

Not_assigned

Freshwater

Not_assigned

Marine

Not_assigned

Habitat

Habitat details as listed in assessment

This is an opportunistic species that is present where there are water sources available; this includes garden courtyards, oases, permanent springs, irrigation canals and permanent small rivers. Breeding takes place in stagnant and slow-moving water. These toads are active by day as well as by night. Eggs are laid throughout the year in permanent water pools and following rain in temporary pools (Gardner 2013).There is no overall decline in habitat extent and quality, however, over-utilisation of surface water (for agriculture for example) will impact the species.

Threats and conservation measures listed

Threats listed in assessment

There are no widespread threats to this species and much of its range is undeveloped. However, over-utilisation of surface water (for agriculture for example) will impact the species. The amphibian disease chytridiomycosis, caused by the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, was not detected in a survey of wild populations in the UAE in 2012 (Soorae et al. 2012, Chaber et al. 2016).

Publication

UAE National Red List of Herpetofauna: Amphibians & Terrestrial Reptiles, Sea Snakes & Marine Turtles

Els, J., Allen, D., Hilton-Taylor, C., Harding, K. (2019). UAE National Red List of Herpetofauna: Amphibians & Terrestrial Reptiles, Sea Snakes & Marine Turtles. MOCCAE, UAE