‘Possibly Extinct’ in IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species

‘Possibly Extinct’ in IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species

Subject – Environment

Context –These animals and plants of India could have become ‘possibly extinct’: IUCN

Concept –

• The latest edition of the Red List was released at the recently-concluded World Conservation Congress organised by the IUCN at Marseille, France.
• Among animals, there is the coconut crab, the largest terrestrial arthropod in the world. There are also fish species such as bovany barb, native to the Cauvery river system.
• Other fish that have been declared as possibly extinct include the Deolali minnow, the Deccan barb and the Nilgiri mystus, all of which are found in the Deccan.
• Birds include the Pink-headed duck, which has been feared to be extinct since the 1950s, the Siberian crane, that once famously drew crowds to Keoladeo National Park as well as the Buffy fish-owl or Malay owl.
• The Tentacled butterfly ray, a type of ray and the Dwarf sawfish are two other animal species that are feared to be possibly extinct. The Millepora boschmai or fire coral is also possibly extinct.
• There are also species that have been marked as ‘Extinct Post-1500’.
  • Those marked ‘Extinct Post-1500’ include Green peafowl, Cheetah, Hairy-nosed Otter, Banteng, a bovid found today in southeast Asia, the Sumatran and Javan rhino and the Osteobrama belangeri, a fish species endemic to Manipur.
• Plants that are possibly extinct include:
  • Corypha taliera, a species of palm
  • Eriocaulon minutum, a species of pipewort
  • Ilex gardneriana, that is found in the Nilgiris
  • Vachellia bolei, a coastal stenoendemic legume of southern India
  • Euphorbia mayurnathanii that is endemic to the Palghat Gap.
• Hopea shingkeng, that is endemic to the Eastern Himalayas and Aldrovanda vesiculosa or the Waterwheel plant have been categorised as ‘Extinct Post-1500’.
• Species whose statuses were changed included the Albacore Tuna that was moved from near threatened to least concern. The Yellowfin Tuna was moved from near threatened to least concern. The Yeracud Day Gecko was moved from least concern to endangered.
• The Satara Gecko was moved from vulnerable to critically endangered while the Yellow Monitor was moved from least concern to endangered.