Malta Fishing Forum

I am starting this topic as every now and then because of climate change new species of flora and fauna are being introduced in Maltese waters. Some fish like barracudas, dusky spinefoot, cornet fish and other invertebrates.
So I am posting some pics of some of the species I find uncommon to discuss if they were in our waters or not and if they are new, know their name and if they are poisonous or not?
The first two I am posting are an orange sea urchin and an eight legged starfish shown here:
(http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_7_13_26.jpg) (http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_7_16_53.JPG)

Anyone who encounters new species post here .

Another species from red sea is the sally lightfoot crab shown here.

(http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_7_33_46.jpg)

Also last summer at Birzebbuga on the sand I saw these bottom transperent jellyfish. The thing is they sting too and it's hard to see them without a mask. I saw quite a good ammount of these jellyfish. Anyone knows there name? They look like box jellyfish.

(http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_10_21_16.jpg)

Then there is the Marbled and Dusky Spinefoots.

Marbled Spinefoot Siganus rivulatus In maltese called Qawsalla.


(http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_10_28_51.jpg) (http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_10_28_15.jpg)

Similar to the Marbled Spinefoot there is the Dusky Spinefoot Siganus luridus. No Maltese name for this fish yet.

(http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_10_37_23.JPG) (http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_10_40_04.jpg) (http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_10_40_42.jpg)

The most recent fish free divers are catching is the cornet fish Fistularia petimba in the past not so common.

(http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_10_45_22.bmp) (http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_10_46_10.jpg) (http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_10_47_00.jpg)

Regarding Dusky spinefoots I cought some spearfishing>Their top spines are poisonous  like Skorfna but their meat is delicous grilled

Regards Lizz

Quote from: Arti2 on April 28, 2008, 11:33:30 CET
Then there is the Marbled and Dusky Spinefoots.

Marbled Spinefoot Siganus rivulatus In maltese called Qawsalla.

(http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_10_30_50.JPG)

(http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_10_28_51.jpg) (http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_10_28_15.jpg)

The orange sea urchin, I saw one under a rock in Comino 1 month ago. It was in the last point near the reef of the bay where there is the Police station. Infact i was with Giovanni and asked him what it was. I wished to take a picture of it but i didn t wanted to tuch it so was difficult to picture it.

As for the starfish I never cared counting the legs :)

The spine fish is really poison. I tried to find the pic but coudn t find it at the moment. I ve been hit in my leg and couldn t walk. <pls take attention as how you manage ut. Its easy but the best thing is to brake ithe spine after just you handle it. It could be done by a knife

Hi guys,
This is a good website and I don't mind at all to pay a members fee to keep it going. The Medina bank is full of that sea urchin.

Mildred Magro B.Sc (Hons) M.Sc. from Ecoserv Ltd. sent me some info on the sea urchin which is called Stylocidaris affinis and is not poisonous. It is normally found in deep water from about 50m to 200m, on algal sand bottoms.
The other echinoderm the starfish is called Coscinasterias tenuispina and it can have from 6 up to 12 arms. It is normally found in shallower waters (about 0-50m) on rocky bottoms rich in algae. (Echinoderms are a group of organisms that include the sea urchins, starfish, brittle stars, sea cucumbers etc.)

I once caught a dusky spinefoot while spearfishing and if I remember well we cooked it al cartoccio (in the oven with some white wine and herbs covered in aluminium foil). The meat was horrible.. almost inedible. In fact its the only fish I would never catch again. Maybe grilled it's different as lizz said:)

Prof P.J. Schembri from the university who is a marine biologist sent me some info on this section.


The sea urchin shown is of a (usually) deep water sea urchin called Stylocidaris affinis. This is not an alien species but a native Mediterranean one. However, there is another species that looks quite like it but is dark brown that is an alien, introduced from the Atlantic, which has established populations inside the Grand Harbour (Kalkara Creek) and Marsamxett Harbour (Sliema Creek) at depths of less than 10m.

(http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_7_13_26.jpg)

The starfish is a species called Coscinasterias tenuispina which is also native and quitre common. Having 7-9 arms of unequal length is a characteristic of this species.

(http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_7_16_53.JPG)

The crab shown is indeed an alien species sometimes called the 'Sally Lightfoot Crab'. However, it does not come from the Red Sea but tropical and substropical regions of the west and east Atlantic and the east Pacific. The scientific name is Percnon gibbesi and it was first recorded from Malta in 2001 and has since spread rapidly to become on of the commonest shallow water crabs locally.

(http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_7_33_46.jpg)

The 'cubic' jellyfish  are indeed a species of box-jellyfish. This is a native Mediterranean species called Carybdea marsupialis which is the only Mediterranean species of box-jellyfish (technically, the Cubozoa). This species is an even more potent stinger than the larger and much commoner 'Purple Stinger' that has plagued Maltese shores in recent years. Avoid contact with this dangerous species.

(http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_10_21_16.jpg)

Two species of alien Rabbitfishes have established themselves in the Mediterranean. Both have entered from the Suez Canal, spread in the eastern Mediterranean and have now reached the Central Mediterranean. One species, Siganus luridus is now well established in the Maltese Islands. The other species, Siganus rivulatus has been recorded from Malta but these records need to be confirmed by examination of actual specimens or very good quality photographs, since the two species of Siganus are very similar to each other. The photographs labelled as 'Siganus rivulatus' on the forum do indeed appear to show this species, but there is no indication if these photographs were taken in local waters; if they were, these probably confirm the occurrence of this species locally.

(http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_10_28_15.jpg)

(http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_10_40_42.jpg)

The final photographs show a Cornetfish, which is another alien species that has recently reached the Maltese islands -- however the species in Malta is Fistularia commersonii which has entered the Mediterranean from the Red Sea via the Suez Canal. It is now also quite common in Malta. The other Fistularia in the Mediterranean is Fistularia pertimba which has entered the Mediterranea from the Atlantic via Gibraltar, but so far this species is only known from the far western Mediterranean (Spain).

(http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_10_47_00.jpg)

So on some of the species I was mistaken as they were native. I also told Prof. P.J.Schembri that if anyone in this forum 'discovers' any species I'll let him know and if possible send him photos.

Another alien species is the dangerous Portugese Man o War (Physalia physalis)

http://u.tv/News/Potentially-lethal-Portuguese-men-of-war-seen-off-Mediterranean-beaches/7e62d8dc-318a-4a75-aa3c-880cce407c83

Wow this portughese looks terrifying..........and 30 metress tentacles.aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh :'(

I found some of the species of sea urchins above, and was also surprized.

Another strange creature that I found was this marvelous flabellina affinis (sea slug) or (nudibranch), found and photographed about a month ago in 12 metres deep.
Its size is about 15mm, and you really need good eyes to see. I have never seen one before (seen other species), and bet that not many others did.
(http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/299_17_05_09_8_28_05.jpeg) (http://<img%20src="http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/299_17_05_09_8_28_05.jpeg"%20/>)

There is also a yellow sea slug that I saw.


I will post my own pics of it.

x camera tuza arti ? jien canon ghandi imma ghadni ma drajtx nuzghha sew s issa underwater

Le dak mhux tieghi ta r-ritratt imma kont qed nithajjar nixtri case ghal camera tieghi.

Quote from: Arti2 on April 28, 2008, 11:41:39 CET
Similar to the Marbled Spinefoot there is the Dusky Spinefoot Siganus luridus. No Maltese name for this fish yet.

(http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_10_37_23.JPG) (http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_10_40_04.jpg) (http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_10_40_42.jpg)

Two summers ago I had seen plenty of this fish at Wied Znuber they were in shoals(kienu f'qatghat)

Big Thanks to all the guys who posted pics and information on this subject I found this thread to be very informative and some of the pics are marvelous. Well done.    ;D

I encountered the crab in photo in Gozo, Hondoq ir-rummien, about 2 years ago. The only thing is that it was not alone. There were many, all under the rocks.

Quote from: mulett75 on May 17, 2009, 19:52:51 CET
I encountered the crab in photo in Gozo, Hondoq ir-rummien, about 2 years ago. The only thing is that it was not alone. There were many, all under the rocks.

In some areas that crab became really abundant

I've been seeing that crab for at least 7 years now. Also the fish species. The crab has become very abundant and I do not think that it has enemies because you never find one eaten by predators such as octopus which are fond of crabs. I also think that where it has become extremely abundant it has replaced the other common crab found on the island.

Sometimes it is eaten by morays.

that crab!!!!!!!!! dellimara (il hofriet) is full of such crab!

sightings of the jellyfish at cirkewwa. Today i was having a chat with one of my IT teachers who is also a scuba instucter and he has already encountered one of the portugese man of war in cirkewwa. Be ware guys

The Portuguese man-of-war invertebrates, with their sometimes lethal stings, have made an unusual visit to Mediterranean waters off southern Spain. The water is usually considered to be too warm for the jelly like creature with it's burning sting which in extreme cases can cause heart attacks to people who are allergic to them...


Scientists said that westerly winds have blown the invertebrate through the Straits of Gibraltar and along the length of the southern coast of Spain. "They go wherever they are driven by the wind," Xavier Pastor, of the Oceana NGO organisation, explained. "They have little sails and that means that, if the wind is blowing in towards the coast, they end up on the coast."

They have been seen off the coast of Malaga and the Costa del Sol a few weeks ago. Latest sightings show them to also be around Murcia. Pastor said that there di d not appear to be enough of them to form a permanent colony in Med., but warned of dramatic consequences to tourism if they did. "It would be a big problem for the tourist industry and for swimmers," he said. "This is far worse than having jellyfish."

The man-of-war has tentacles reaching up to thirty metres in length, which are strung with stinging capsules which survive even if they are broken off. The capsules contain small triggers which release the stings when touched and hang below a pink-tinged blue bubble that acts as the sail.


Ha nitfa xi pics tal ostra man of war

kif nitfa pics bhala reply?

Nies check this out:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1181442/Fish-triggers-LSD-like-hallucinations-caught-Cornwall.html

Steve GB

bully mela ghall parties nibdew niklu xilpa imbad nifqaw dancefloor :D

l lostra bikri kif fqajtni man dik tigik rhisa iktar!

Ir-Ras biss imma.

Illum mort noghdds ftit imma l-bahar kien mifquh bil-bram komuni! Ma nistagibx li jidhlu l-portugizi ukoll.

Vera jew din tax xilpa?

bis sens hahaj isma zommuwa fil maluq din ax nibdew naraw ix xileb for sale b xi ?20 il kilo hahaj

QuoteVera jew din tax xilpa?

le le veru dik markcam. haddiela jghidula bil malti l hallucinations li ttik.

mxlokk ibihuwha..... u n nies taz zejtun ihobbu isajruwha ix xilpa...x kumbinazzjoni ;D ;D ;D

 :D :D ;D hahaha Din il gimgha naqbad wahda u inbelaha lin nanna ha nara naqa x'jigri.   :P

mux xi nanny at the disco tista taghmel. bil flixkun ta l ilma u c chewing gum ha tispicca...lol  8) 8) ;D

mux ta bxejn in nannu dejjem jejdli biex jekk nara wahda naqbadilhu!!!! mur obsor alih

markcam, dawk mux affarijiet man...... (umbad ajdli xgara man haha!!)

tajba guys fakkartuni fil-kunjata.................

Quote from: charlie on May 17, 2009, 17:10:22 CET

Quote from: Arti2 on April 28, 2008, 11:41:39 CET
Similar to the Marbled Spinefoot there is the Dusky Spinefoot Siganus luridus. No Maltese name for this fish yet.

(http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_10_37_23.JPG) (http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_10_40_04.jpg) (http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_28_04_08_10_40_42.jpg)

Two summers ago I had seen plenty of this fish at Wied Znuber they were in shoals(kienu f'qatghat)

My friend Vanni caught one of these, nice sized too. Location was Delli area. He told me that it tastes good. Honestly I wouldn't dare cooking it. It's texture is hard as crocodile skin  ;D

tajba tax-xilep  ;D ........ li kont naf qabel jahasra x'ikla xilep kont niekol qabel Underworld  ;D

humbghad kont tghamel meditation. ;D ;D ;D

bl ezatt qeghdin issa!

http://www.maltarightnow.com/?module=news&at=Tintlema%26%23295%3B+roqg%26%23295%3Ba+bram+ta%27+g%26%23295%3Baxar+kilometri&t=a&aid=99812653&cid=20

It seems that this year jellyfish is all around. These last two weeks was full of them with clouds of small ones not larger than 5mm. There's not enough fish to eat this pest so that's what we should expect for the coming years unless something really radical is done. Our situation is really difficult because the tourist industry iin summer will be hit hard by such news. Hope for the better.

this is the result of over fishing especially of those that prey on jellyfish!!!

Guys appart from the well know Turtle who else eats jellyfish.

All I can think of is busuf and the star fish but this only eat them when they are near the rocks.

there is the tannuta, vopi, dolphins and sargi that also eat jelly fish.

With the amount of jellyfish we have, I doubt that there was ever enough fish to eat a good amount of them.  In my opinion, there is something wrong with the world (dont know if you want to call it global warming). As everyone knows we have been seeing an increase in alien species in the med.  I guess jellyfish are also part of the equation.

Quote from: Arti2 on May 17, 2009, 11:10:12 CET
There is also a yellow sea slug that I saw.

(http://maltafishingforum.com/talk/gallery/223_17_05_09_10_18_16.jpeg)

I will post my own pics of it.

These are my pics. Caught this one for the pic and then released.

Awesome species. Hope you did not let her long without water.\
very nice.... Species I have never seen.

In the pic its in the water!

baghira qed tbezzani nispera li tara iktar meta tkun qed timmira xi huta

baghira i hope you see fish better than you are seeing this photo

nara nara
L-aktar mhux ghal xi huta imma.............
Ghal xi wahda tixxemmex fuq xi boat bhal-issa. ;D

Ma nafx x'ilma qed taraw?? Imma la qal hekk arti, hekk huwa zgur.

That would be nice in a marine aquarium.

hi semplici baghira ara l vasett hu tara xi particles (frak) fir ritratt ta l ilma. anke r refractive index differenti

you can clearly see the particles of dust in the water. also the worm is very life, something that would not occur if without water

ija baghira issa jibdew jidru dawk li jikxfu jekk ma narawx hut ma niddejqux zgur he he he. nahseb int volontarju jekk ikollhom bzonn jidilku ftit sun block hux.....

now the girls will show up and we won't be annoyed if we see no fish!

Iva wiehed vazett u l-iehor barmil abjad. Dak difficli izzommu f'akkwarju minhabba irid temperatura u ilma perfett. Siehbi prova imma mietlu kellu wiehed.

BAGHIRA ara ma titlax fuq xi daghjsa fejn xi wahda biex tara ahjar!

jidher sew li dak l speci ta mollusk qieghed go l ilma nahseb l yoga qed taffetwalek xi naqra l vista ;D ;D

In the following link one may find a very informative and factual article on the Portuguese Man-of-War.

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=89094

A small note... The photo in the article was taken by me in February 2009 whilst spinning from Golden bay with clutchkick (who first first noted it).

Prof. Patrick J Schembri saw the photos of the sea slug that I posted and he wanted to let us know that the nudibranch found is Hypselodoris picta, which is a species that is highly variable in colour and pattern. It is an indigenous Mediterranean species and not an alien.