Iago omanensis | UAE National Red List of Marine Species: Reef-building corals, cartilaginous fishes and select bony fishes

Taxa
Iago omanensis | (Norman, 1939)
Publication
UAE National Red List of Marine Species: Reef-building corals, cartilaginous fishes and select bony fishes
Location
Countries in Assessment
United Arab Emirates
Country ISO code(s)
ARE
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Off
Scope (Assessment)
National
Taxon
Taxonomic Group
Vertebrates
Taxonomic Group Level 2
Fishes
Assessed taxon level
Species
Taxonomic Notes
The Bay of Bengal population may represent a separate dwarf Iago omanensis-like species (Fernando et al. 2019, Psomadakis et al. 2019).
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
The Bigeye Houndshark occurs in UAE waters on the Sea of Oman coast. It is excluded from the Arabian Gulf. Its global range is poorly-defined due to taxonomic issues, but as presently known, it occurs throughout the Arabian Sea region with the exception of the Gulf, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka. There may be several species in India that remain to be described (K.K. Bineesh pers. comm. 07/02/2017). Further research is required, but the Bigeye Houndshark may be restricted to the western parts of the Arabian Sea region.
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
Yes
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
The Bigeye Houndshark is most commonly found on continental shelves and slopes at depths from 110-1,000 m and possibly as deep as 2,195 m in the Red Sea. In the Gulf of Aqaba, males apparently inhabit deeper waters, whereas females prefer shallower waters (300 m) (Baranes 2005). The species attains a maximum size of 84 cm total length (TL) (Henderson and Reeve 2014) with females reaching maturity at ~40 cm TL and males at 31-32 cm TL. Reproduction is viviparous with yolk-sac placenta and gestation lasts for 10-12 months with two to six pups are produced per litter (Baranes 2007). Size at birth is at ~14 cm TL (Baranes 2007, Henderson and Reeve 2014). Preliminary ageing data indicates males live to 7 years and females to 9 years (Henderson et al. 2004) suggesting a generation length of 5.5 years.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Least Concern
Assessment status abreviation
LC
Assessment rationale/justification
In UAE waters, the Bigeye Houndshark occurs only in deeper waters of the Sea of Oman. This species is not targeted or valued in markets of the UAE and trawling has been banned there since 1980. It is taken by gill net or trawl fisheries in Oman, Pakistan and India and utilized fresh for human consumption. It appears to be quite common in some areas of its range, such as Oman and northwestern India, but data specific to its status in the UAE are not available at this time. There is some evidence for declines in the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea) and India, especially where deep sea trawl fisheries have been recently expanding. There are no data to suggest that the part of the population that occupies the UAE is under any greater threat than in any other part of its range and that its status in the Arabian Seas region should be representative of its status in the UAE. Given its probable extensive refuge in deep waters, it is listed as Least Concern.
About the assessment
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
Criteria system
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.
Endemism
Endemic to region
Not_assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Conservation
Threats listed in assessment
Threat information specific to this species in the UAE is unavailable. In the UAE, sharks have been impacted by targeted commercial fisheries until 2014 when a ban on export of sharks was imposed (Ministry of Climate Change and Environment). Sharks continue to be impacted by artisanal and bycatch fisheries (Annual Fisheries Statistical Report for Abu Dhabi Emirate 2001-2018), though catch data are not species-specific.
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Scientific Name Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus
Iago omanensis Animalia Chordata Chondrichthyes Carcharhiniformes Triakidae Iago