Lutjanus ehrenbergii | UAE National Red List of Marine Species: Reef-building corals, cartilaginous fishes and select bony fishes
Taxa
Lutjanus ehrenbergii | (Peters, 1869)
Location
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
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
This species occurs throughout UAE waters. Globally, it is widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific (Allen 1985). Its depth range is 1 to 20 m (Anderson and Allen 2001, R. Myers unpublished data).
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This reef-associated species inhabits very shallow coastal habitats, often forming large schools near freshwater run-offs (Kuiter and Tonozuka 2001). Adults inhabit coral reefs, while juveniles frequent inshore areas over sand, silt or coral rubble bottoms, occasionally in mangrove-lined streams and estuaries (Fischer et al. 1990). Its maximum total length is 35 cm (Allen 1985). Off Abu Dhabi, its mean age and size at sexual maturity is 1.7 years and 19.9 cm for males and 1.8 years and 20.4 cm for females and it has been aged up to 11 years (Grandcourt et al. 2011). When applying an age at first reproduction of 2 years and longevity of 11 years, its estimated generation length is 6.5 years based on the following equation recommended by the IUCN Red List methods: Age at first reproduction + (Age at last reproduction - age at first reproduction)/2.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Least Concern
Assessment status abreviation
LC
Assessment rationale/justification
This reef-associated species occurs throughout UAE waters. It is taken in fisheries throughout the Arabian Gulf, including the UAE. A 2011 stock assessment considered it to be sustainably exploited off Abu Dhabi, but the retention of juveniles was very high, which could lead to growth overfishing. The stock was assessed as fully exploited in 2018. Effort in the fishery that exploits this species has declined over time. The status of populations outside the UAE is not well-understood. Population declines are not known to be approaching a Near Threatened or threatened level in the UAE at this time; therefore, it is listed as Least Concern with a recommendation to continue fisheries monitoring.
About the assessment
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
Assessor affiliation specific
Government|IGO
Criteria system
Criteria system specifics
IUCN v3.1 + Regional Guidelines v4.0
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
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Conservation
Threats listed in assessment
Declines have not yet been documented in the Arabian Gulf, but exploitation is relatively high, and may represent a significant 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).
Conservation Measures
Conservation measures:
Further information
History
First assessment.
Scientific Name
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Lutjanus ehrenbergii
Animalia
Chordata
Actinopterygii
Perciformes
Lutjanidae
Lutjanus
