The likelihood of extinction of iconic and dominant herbivores and detritivores of coral reefs: the parrotfishes and surgeonfishes.
Parrotfishes and surgeonfishes perform important functional roles in the dynamics of coral reef systems. This is a consequence of their varied feeding behaviors ranging from targeted consumption of living plant material (primarily surgeonfishes) to feeding on detrital aggregates that are either scraped from the reef surface or excavated from the deeper reef substratum (primarily parrotfishes). Increased fishing pressure and widespread habitat destruction have led to population declines for several species of these two groups. Species-specific data on global distribution, population status, life history characteristics, and major threats were compiled for each of the 179 known species of parrotfishes and surgeonfishes to determine the likelihood of extinction of each species under the Categories and Criteria of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Due in part to the extensive distributions of most species and the life history traits exhibited in these two families, only three (1.7%) of the species are listed at an elevated risk of global extinction. The majority of the parrotfishes and surgeonfishes (86%) are listed as Least Concern, 10% are listed as Data Deficient and 1% are listed as Near Threatened. The risk of localized extinction, however, is higher in some areas, particularly in the Coral Triangle region. The relatively low proportion of species globally listed in threatened Categories is highly encouraging, and some conservation successes are attributed to concentrated conservation efforts. However, with the growing realization of man's profound impact on the planet, conservation actions such as improved marine reserve networks, more stringent fishing regulations, and continued monitoring of the population status at the species and community levels are imperative for the prevention of species loss in these groups of important and iconic coral reef fishes.
IUCN Species Programme/SSC Marine Biodiversity Unit-Global Marine Species Assessment, Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, United States of America. mcome003@odu.edu
Mia T
MT
Comeros-Raynal
John Howard
JH
Choat
Beth A
BA
Polidoro
Kendall D
KD
Clements
Rene
R
Abesamis
Matthew T
MT
Craig
Muhammad Erdi
ME
Lazuardi
Jennifer
J
McIlwain
Andreas
A
Muljadi
Robert F
RF
Myers
Cleto L
CL
Nañola
Shinta
S
Pardede
Luiz A
LA
Rocha
Barry
B
Russell
Jonnell C
JC
Sanciangco
Brian
B
Stockwell
Heather
H
Harwell
Kent E
KE
Carpenter
D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000502:physiology; D001267:Atlantic Ocean; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D057894:Coral Reefs; D056727:Endangered Species / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D053476:Extinction, Biological; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D060434:Herbivory / Q000502:physiology*; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D010473:Perciformes / Q000502:physiology*; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011336:Probability; D013045:Species Specificity