The local marine biologist Alan Deidun has called for the attention of locals to keep an eye out for a particular fish with an even more particular name – the Sideburn Wrasse, that goes by the scientific name Pteragogus trispilus.

Native of the Red Sea, this alien fish has been recorded in its colonisation of the Mediterranean over the past few years, and has recently been recorded for the first time near the Maltese Islands, crossing over from Italian waters.

This fish is easily identifiable through the elliptical black spot on its side, a distinctive white streak across the fish’s body, and a scattering of small black spots behind the eye and on the nape – presumably the reason it’s said to have a ‘sideburn’.

Anyone who spots this fish should report the sighting to the ‘Spot the Alien Fish’ citizen science campaign through a private message to Alan Deidun himself, or through campaigns.com.mt.

Have you ever seen this fish before?