Stenella attenuata | UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial

Taxa
Stenella attenuata | (Gray, 1846)
Publication
UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial
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
Mammals
Assessed taxon level
Species
Taxonomic Notes
The genus Stenella is paraphyletic, and it is likely that the Delphininae will be restructured in the coming years (LeDuc et al. 1999, Perrin et al. 2013). Two subspecies are recognized: S. attenuata attenuata in oceanic tropical waters worldwide, and S. a. graffmani in the coastal waters of the eastern tropical Pacific (ETP) (Jefferson et al. 2015, Perrin 2018).
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
The only UAE records of this species are a skull collected on the Gulf coast in 1973 (Baldwin 2005) and individuals observed off the coast of Fujairah during a survey by the <a href=""http://fujairahwhales.com/pantropical-spotted-dolphin/"">Fujairah Whale and Dolphin Research Project</a> in 2017. Baldwin et al. (1999) collated references to this species from the Arabian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and the Red Sea. Globally it is found in all oceans between about 40'°N and 40'°S, although it is much more abundant in the lower-latitude parts of its range (Hammond et al. 2012a, Kiszka and Braulik 2018).
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
No
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
Occurs in offshore waters where it hunts in the thermocline for small pelagic fish. Found in groups from 10 to 300 (Baldwin et al. 1999).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Data deficient
Assessment status abreviation
DD
Assessment rationale/justification
This species is known only from a few recent sightings off the coast of Fujairah and an old skull record from the Gulf. No further information is available on population size or trends, and there are also no data on any threats to the species, hence it is assessed as Data Deficient. No regional adjustment is made to the Data Deficient assessment.
About the assessment
Assessment year
2018
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.
URL (link) of redlist assessment or publication
https://www.moccae.gov.ae/assets/download/b352eff1/UNRL%20of%20Mammals%20-%20Report%202019.pdf.aspx?view=true
Endemism
Endemic to region
Not_assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Conservation
Threats listed in assessment
The main threats to cetaceans in UAE waters include: incidental mortality in trawl, drift and anchored gill nets, depletion of prey populations (due in part to commercial overfishing); ship and boat strikes, disturbance due to underwater noise (including that from vessel traffic, drilling, piling, military operations and seismic activity related to offshore oil and gas exploration). Inshore and shallow-water species are further potentially threatened by entanglement in abandoned fishing gear, coastal development including port and harbour construction, dredging, land reclamation, residential and tourist development, and pollution (especially hydrocarbons). A lack of information (e.g. population size and trend, the location of critical habitats, and feeding ecology) hinders the development of appropriate conservation actions, but this should be used as an excuse for inaction.
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Further information
History
The backcasted 1996 assessment for this species is Data Deficient which matches the listing given by Hornby (1996).
Scientific Name Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus
Stenella attenuata Animalia Chordata Mammalia Cetartiodactyla Delphinidae Stenella