Spergularia marina | UAE National Red List of Vascular Plants

Taxa
Spergularia marina | (L.) Griseb.
Publication
UAE National Red List of Vascular Plants
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
Plants
Taxonomic Group Level 2
Flowering Plants
Assessed taxon level
Species
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
Within the UAE, this species has been recorded from Abu Dhabi and Digdaga, in addition to along the Dibba to Khor Fakkan road (Jongbloed et al. 2003) and in Hatta. It is suggested to have a very localised distribution along the east coast, although G. Feulner does not know this species from this area (G. Feulner pers. comm. 2019). Its maximum EOO was initially estimated to be 2,709 km<sup>2</sup> when including a locality at Ras al-Khaimah, however, when excluding this locality (as this species presence is currently uncertain here), the EOO estimate is 812 km<sup>2</sup>. There are considered to be less than ten locations according to the major threats to this species. Its native range spans across the temperate northern hemisphere in addition to South America (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
No
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
It is an annual herb species that can be found in plantations (El-Keblawy and Abdelfatah 2014, Mahmoud et al. 2018). This plant grows up to 25 cm in height, has fleshy linear leaves and produces pink and white flowers between February and April (Jongbloed et al. 2003). It appears to prefer shaded sites but can also tolerate saline soils (Jongbloed et al. 2003). MEW (2010) gave the habitat as ""moist locations in gravel and sand"".
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Vulnerable
Assessment status abreviation
VU
Assessment status criteria
B1ab(iii)
Assessment rationale/justification
This species is generally recorded from two localities in the UAE, although further scattered localities may also form part of its range. If these are taken into consideration, the maximum extent of occurrence (EOO) for the species is estimated be between 812-2,709 km<sup>2</sup>. In addition, Spergularia marina is experiencing ongoing decline in habitat extent and quality due to coastal development within its range, and is estimated to occur in less than ten threat-based locations. Therefore, this species is assessed as Vulnerable (VU B1ab(iii)).
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 + 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
Endemic to region
Not_assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Conservation
Threats listed in assessment
This species is threatened by coastal development along the east coast of the UAE.
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Further information
History
There have been increasing levels of development along the East coast of the UAE since 1996, and so it is assessed as being Near Threatened in 1996, whereas now it is Vulnerable.
Scientific Name Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus
Spergularia marina Plantae Tracheophyta Magnoliopsida Caryophyllales Caryophyllaceae Spergularia