Taxon name
Sphyraena putnamae
Jordan & Seale, 1905
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Sphyraena putnamae
Jordan & Seale, 1905
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Fishes
Species authority
Jordan & Seale, 1905
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
Data deficient
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This nearshore, reef-associated species occurs throughout UAE waters. It is taken in the same fishery as Sphyraena barracuda, but species-specific catch data are not available. In Abu Dhabi, there has been a 96% decline in landings of S. barracuda since 2011, and the cause of the decline is poorly understood. This species is also likely taken in fisheries in areas neighboring the UAE. Due to the potential threat from fishing and general lack of population information, this species is listed as Data Deficient 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
This species occurs throughout UAE waters. Globally, it is widespread in the Indo-West Pacific. It is easily confused with Sphyraena jello and S. qenie (Senou 2001).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species inhabits bays and turbid inner lagoons near prominent current-swept lagoon and seaward reefs. It is nocturnally active, but forms relatively large schools during the day (Lieske and Myers 1994). Its diet consists mainly of fishes (Carpenter et al. 1997b). The maximum total length is 87 cm, commonly to 60 cm (Senou 2001).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Overfishing is a potential major threat. 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.
