Abstract
Revised analyses suggest that the lesser electric ray Narcine bancroftii is not at risk of extinction
Highlights
In a recent systematic analysis of the threats to 1041 chondrichthyan fishes, Dulvy et al (2014) estimated that one-quarter of species are threatened with extinction according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria
The most recent IUCN Red List Assessment of the lesser electric ray in the western North Atlantic Ocean indicated the species is Critically Endangered under criteria A2abd, 3bd, and 4bd, which represents the highest risk of extinction based on IUCN criteria
De Carvalho et al (2007) reported that data from the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) program suggested that lesser electric rays have become extremely rare in recent years, with diverrecorded sighting rates being extremely low along the east coast of Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, and the northwestern Caribbean Sea
Summary
In a recent systematic analysis of the threats to 1041 chondrichthyan fishes, Dulvy et al (2014) estimated that one-quarter of species are threatened with extinction according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria. Among rays inhabiting US coastal waters in the western North Atlantic Ocean, a species of particular concern is the lesser electric ray Narcine bancroftii. This small ray ranges from North Carolina to northeastern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea (de Carvalho 1999). The most recent IUCN Red List Assessment of the lesser electric ray in the western North Atlantic Ocean indicated the species is Critically Endangered under criteria A2abd, 3bd, and 4bd (de Carvalho et al 2007), which represents the highest risk of extinction based on IUCN criteria. The assessment by de Carvalho et al (2007) was based largely on a single abundance trend with few positive observations (78 individuals collected over 30 yr) and unpublished, anecdotal information (i.e. there was no formal analysis conducted for the REEF data series)
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