Critical Species
As part of the process to assess the conservation status and the risk of local extinction of native species, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment maintains a "National List of Critical Species", including both terrestrial and marine species, prepared under the IUCN guidelines for regional red lists. While the list uses IUCN terminology, it does not claim to have followed the IUCN Red List methodology to the full extent.
Under the system applied in the IUCN Red List database, species are classified in nine categories, set through criteria such as rate of decline, population size, area of geographic distribution, and degree of population and distribution fragmentation.
Summary of 2006 IUCN Red List categories.
- Critically Endangered (CR) — extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
- Endangered (EN) — High risk of extinction in the wild.
- Vulnerable (VU) — High risk of endangerment in the wild.
- Near Threatened (NT) — Likely to become endangered in the near future.
- Least Concern (LC) — Lowest risk; does not qualify for a more at-risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.
- Data Deficient (DD) — Not enough data to make an assessment of its risk of extinction.
- Not Evaluated (NE) — Has not yet been evaluated against the criteria.
Order | Species | English name | IUCN class | Status in Belize | Justification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amphibians | Agalychnis moreletii | Morelet's treefrog | CR | DD | 3 |
Amphibians | Bolitoglossa dofleini | Doflein's salamander | NT | DD | 3 |
Amphibians | Bufo campbelli | Campbell's rainforest toad | NT | LC | 3 |
Amphibians | Smilisca cyanosticta | Blue-spotted Mexican treefrog | NT | DD | 3 |
Amphibians | Eleutherodactylus chac | Chac's rainfrog | NT | DD | 3 |
Amphibians | Eleutherodactylus laticeps | Broad-headed rainfrog | NT | DD | 3 |
Amphibians | Eleutherodactylus leprus | Leprus chirping frog | VU | DD | 3 |
Amphibians | Eleutherodactylus psephosypharus | Limestone rainfrog | VU | DD | 3 |
Amphibians | Eleutherodactylus sabrinus | Long-legged streamfrog | EN | DD | 3 |
Amphibians | Eleutherodactylus sandersoni | Sanderson's streamfrog | EN | DD | 3 |
Amphibians | Bromeliohyla bromeliacia | Bromeliad treefrog | EN | DD | 3 |
Amphibians | Rana juliani | Maya Mountains frog | NT | NT | 2 |
Birds | Agamia agami | Agami heron | VU | 6,8 | |
Birds | Ajaia ajaja | Roseate spoonbill | VU | 6 | |
Birds | Amazona oratrix | Yellow-headed Amazon | EN | EN | 4,8,9,10 |
Birds | Amazona xantholora | Yellow-lored Amazon | VU | 10 | |
Birds | Anous stolidus | Brown noddy | VU | 6 | |
Birds | Ara macao cyanoptera | Scarlet macaw | EN | 4,8,9,11 | |
Birds | Ardea herodias | Great blue heron | VU | 4,10 | |
Birds | Asio stygius | Stygian owl | VU | 10 | |
Birds | Bubo virginianus | Great horned owl | VU | 10 | |
Birds | Cairina moschata | Muscovy duck | VU | 4 | |
Birds | Columba leucocephala | White-crowned pigeon | NT | VU | 4,7 |
Birds | Contopus cooperi | Olive-sided flycatcher | NT | DD | |
Birds | Crax rubra | Great curassow | VU | VU | 4,9 |
Birds | Dendrocygna autumnalis | Black-bellied whistling duck | VU | 4,10 | |
Birds | Dendrocygna bicolor | Fulvous whistling duck | VU | 4,10 | |
Birds | Dendroica cerulea | Cerulean warbler | VU | VU | |
Birds | Egretta rufescens | Reddish egret | NT | VU | 6,10 |
Birds | Egretta thula | Snowy egret | VU | 6,10 | |
Birds | Egretta tricolor | Tricoloured heron | VU | 6,10 | |
Birds | Electron carinatum | Keel-billed motmot | VU | VU | 3,8,9 |
Birds | Eudocimus albus | White ibis | VU | 6 | |
Birds | Falco deiroleucus | Orange-breasted falcon | VU | 8,9 | |
Birds | Fregata magnificens | Magnificent frigatebird | VU | 6 | |
Birds | Harpia harpyja | Harpy eagle | NT | CR | 4,7,9,10 |
Birds | Harpyhaliaetus solitarius | Solitary eagle | NT | CR | 4,7,10 |
Birds | Jabiru mycteria | Jabiru | VU | 4,7,9,10, 11 | |
Birds | Laterallus jamaicensis | Black rail | NT | DD | |
Birds | Melanoptila glabrirostris | Black catbird | NT | NT | 8,9 |
Birds | Meleagris ocellata | Ocellated turkey | NT | VU | 3,4,9 |
Birds | Morphnus guianensis | Crested eagle | NT | CR | 4,7,10 |
Birds | Mycteria americana | Wood stork | VU | 4,6,10 | |
Birds | Nyctanassa violacea | Yellow-crowned night-heron | VU | 6 | |
Birds | Nycticorax nycticorax | Black-crowned night-heron | VU | 6 | |
Birds | Pelecanus occidentalis | Brown pelican | VU | 6,10 | |
Birds | Penelope purpurascens | Crested guan | VU | 4 | |
Birds | Phalacrocorax auritus | Double-crested cormorant | VU | 4,6,10 | |
Birds | Phalacrocorax brasilianus | Neotropic cormorant | VU | 4,6,10 | |
Birds | Pionopsitta haematotis | Brown-hooded parrot | DD | ||
Birds | Sarcoramphus papa | King vulture | VU | 7,8,9 | |
Birds | Sterna anaethetus | Bridled tern | VU | 6 | |
Birds | Sterna antillarum | Least tern | VU | 6 | |
Birds | Sterna dougallii | Roseate tern | VU | 6 | |
Birds | Sterna fuscata | Sooty tern | VU | 6 | |
Birds | Sterna sandvicensis | Sandwich tern | VU | 6 | |
Birds | Sula leucogaster | Brown booby | VU | 6 | |
Birds | Sula sula | Red-footed booby | VU | 6 | |
Corals | Anthozoa (all species) | Gorgonians, Telestaceans, Alcyonaceans, Antipatharians, Scleractinians | VU | VU | 9 |
Corals | Hydrozoa (all species) | Fire corals, Lace corals | VU | VU | 9 |
Fishes | Balistes vetula | Queen triggerfish | VU | VU | 4,5 |
Fishes | Dermatolepis inermis | Marbled grouper | VU | CD | 1,4,5,6 |
Fishes | Epinephelus itajara | Goliath grouper | CR | CD | 1,4,5,6,9 |
Fishes | Epinephelus morio | Red grouper | NT | CD | 1,4,5,6 |
Fishes | Epinephelus nigritus | Warsaw grouper | CR | CD | 1,4,5,6 |
Fishes | Epinephelus niveatus | Snowy grouper | VU | CD | 1,4,5,6 |
Fishes | Epinephelus striatus | Nassau grouper | EN | CD | 1,4,5,6,9 |
Fishes | Hippocampus erectus | Lined seahorse | VU | DD | |
Fishes | Hippocampus reidi | Longsnout seahorse | DD | DD | |
Fishes | Lachnolaimus maximus | Hogfish | VU | VU | 4,5 |
Fishes | Lutjanus analis | Mutton snapper | VU | VU | 4,5,6 |
Fishes | Lutjanus cyanopterus | Cubera snapper | VU | VU | 4,5,6 |
Fishes | Mycteroperca venenosa | Yellowfin grouper | NT | CD | 1,4,5,6 |
Fishes | Pagrus pagrus | Red porgy | EN | DD | 4,5 |
Fishes | Sanopus astrifer | Whitespotted toadfish | VU | DD | |
Fishes | Sanopus greenfieldorum | Whitelined toadfish | VU | DD | |
Fishes | Sanopus reticulatus | Reticulated toadfish | VU | DD | |
Fishes | Sanopus splendidus | Splendid toadfish | VU | DD | |
Fishes | Scarus guacamaia | Rainbow parrotfish | VU | VU | 4,5 |
Sharks | Carcharhinus leucas | Bull shark | NT | NT | 4,5,9,10 |
Sharks | Carcharhinus limbatus | Blacktip shark | NT | NT | 4,5,9,10 |
Sharks | Carcharhinus longimanus | Oceanic whitetip shark | VU | NT | 4,5,9,10 |
Sharks | Carcharhinus plumbeus | Sandbar shark | NT | NT | 4,5,9,10 |
Sharks | Galeocerdo cuvier | Tiger shark | NT | NT | 4,5,9,10 |
Sharks | Isurus oxyrinchus | Shortfin mako | VU | NT | 4,5,9,10 |
Sharks | Mustelus canis | Dusky smoothhound | NT | DD | |
Sharks | Negaprion brevirostris | Lemon shark | NT | NT | 4,5,9,10 |
Sharks | Prionace glauca | Blue shark | NT | NT | 4,5,9,10 |
Sharks | Pristis pectinata | Smalltooth sawfish | CR | CR | 4,5 |
Sharks | Pristis perotteti | Largetooth sawfish | CR | CR | 4,5 |
Sharks | Rhincodon typus | Whale shark | VU | VU | 7,8,9 |
Sharks | Sphyrna lewini | Scalloped hammerhead | EN | NT | 4,5,9,10 |
Sharks | Sphyrna mokarran | Great hammerhead | EN | DD | 4,5,9,10 |
Sharks | Sphyrna zygaena | Smooth mammerhead | NT | NT | 4,5,9,10 |
Mammals | Alouatta pigra | Guatemalan black howler | EN | VU | 3,9 |
Mammals | Ateles geoffroyi | Central American spider monkey | EN | VU | 9 |
Mammals | Balaenoptera physalus | Fin whale | EN | DD | 9 |
Mammals | Balantiopteryx io | Thomas's sac-winged bat | VU | VU | 8 |
Mammals | Bauerus dubiaquercus | Van Gelder's bat | NT | VU | 8 |
Mammals | Cabassous centralis | Northern naked-tailed armadillo | DD | DD | 8 |
Mammals | Centronycteris centralis | Shaggy bat | VU | 8 | |
Mammals | Dicotyles pecari | White-lipped peccary | NT | VU | 4,7,10 |
Mammals | Globicephala macrorhynchus | Short-finned pilot whale | DD | DD | 9 |
Mammals | Herpailurus yaguarondi | Yaguarundi | LC | 10 | |
Mammals | Leopardus pardalis | Ocelot | VU | 4,9,10 | |
Mammals | Leopardus wiedii | Margay | NT | VU | 9,10 |
Mammals | Lontra longicaudis | Neotropical river otter | DD | VU | 10 |
Mammals | Mazama pandora | Yucatán brown brocket deer | VU | DD | 3,4 |
Mammals | Molossops greenhalli | Greenhall's mastiff bat | VU | 8 | |
Mammals | Mormoops megalphylla | Ghost-faced bat | NT | 8 | |
Mammals | Myotis elegans | Elegant myotis | VU | 8 | |
Mammals | Panthera onca | Jaguar | NT | NT | 4,7,9,10 |
Mammals | Physeter macrocephalus | Sperm whale | VU | DD | 9 |
Mammals | Pteronotus gymnonotus | Greater naked-back bat | NT | 8 | |
Mammals | Puma concolor | Puma | NT | 4,7,9,10 | |
Mammals | Stenella frontalis | Atlantic spotted dolphin | DD | VU | 9 |
Mammals | Stenella Iongirostris | Spinner dolphin | DD | DD | 9 |
Mammals | Steno bredanensis | Rough-toothed dolphin | DD | 9 | |
Mammals | Tapirus bairdii | Central American tapir | EN | VU | 4,9,10 |
Mammals | Thyroptera tricolor | Spix's disk-winged bat | VU | 8 | |
Mammals | Trichechus manatus | West Indian manatee | EN | VU | 4,9 |
Mammals | Turiopsis truncatus | Common bottlenose dolphin | VU | 9 | |
Plants | Ceratozamia robusta | VU | VU | 3 | |
Plants | Pithecellobium johansenii | EN | DD | ||
Plants | Quiina schippii | EN | DD | ||
Plants | Schippia concolor | Mountain pimento | VU | LC | 2 |
Plants | Swietenia macrophylla | Large-leaved mahogany | VU | VU | 5,9 |
Plants | Zamia prasina | CR | DD | 2,8 | |
Plants | Zamia sp. Nov. | Un-described Zamia | VU | 2,8 | |
Plants | Zamia variegata | Variegated Zamia | EN | VU | 3,9 |
Reptiles | Caretta caretta | Loggerhead | EN | EN | 4,5,6,9 |
Reptiles | Chelonia mydas | Green turtle | EN | EN | 4,5,6,9 |
Reptiles | Crocodylus acutus | American crocodile | VU | NT | 4,9,10 |
Reptiles | Crocodylus moreletii | Morelet's crocodile | CD | CD | 3,4,5,9,10 |
Reptiles | Dermatemys mawii | Central American river turtle | CR | EN | 3,4,5,9 |
Reptiles | Dermochelys coriacea | Leatherback | CR | CR | 4,9 |
Reptiles | Eretmochelys imbricata | Hawksbill turtle | CR | CR | 4,5,6,9 |
Reptiles | Phyllodactylus insularis | Belize leaf-toed gecko | NT | 2 | |
Reptiles | Staurotypus triporcatus | Mexican musk turtle | NT | NT | 4 |
Reptiles | Trachemys scripta | Common slider | NT | LC | 4 |
- Justification
- The present trends in the global populations of all groupers are decreasing. Measures have been taken to protect spawning sites of these fish in Belize, and the government is attempting to introduce measures that will allow it to sustainably manage this resource. For this reason, all grouper species have been placed in the CD (Conservation Dependant) category.
- Endemic species
- Small Range (regionally endemic)
- Hunted or fished
- Economic importance
- Colony breeder (restricted number of breeding colonies/locations)
- Needs large range
- Specialised ecological requirements
- Charismatic species drawing national and international attention
- Prosecuted as perceived pest
- Genetically different from South American counterpart
Read more about this topic: Conservation In Belize
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