Taxon name
Siganus javus
(Linnaeus, 1766)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Siganus javus
(Linnaeus, 1766)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Fishes
Species authority
(Linnaeus, 1766)
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 coastal species is common in UAE waters. It is taken in fisheries at a relatively low level. Fishing activity is not known to be driving population declines at this time; therefore, it is listed as Least Concern 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, itis widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific (Woodland 1984, 2001). Its depth range is about 0 to 25 m (R. Myers pers. comm. 2015).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species forms small schools in shallow coastal waters around rock and coral reefs and in brackish lagoons, but it is not considered a coral reef species (Woodland 1984, 2001). It also occurs on hard-bottom structures (E. Abdulqader pers. comm. 2014). It feeds on bottom-growing algae and seaweeds (Woodland 1984, Carpenter et al. 1997a) and attains a maximum size of 55 cm total length, but is more commonly seen to 30 cm (Woodland 2001).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Fishing activity is not known to be driving population declines in the UAE at this time. 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.
