A rare sighting of the mauve stinger jellyfish off Gozo has raised questions about whether the species is preparing to return to Maltese waters after two summers with very few reported sightings.
Marine biologist Professor Alan Deidun has reported the sighting of a mauve stinger (Pelagia noctiluca) at a depth of 10 metres off the coast of Gozo.
The individual was spotted by experienced scuba diver Dr Andrew Zammit, whom Deidun thanked for reporting the observation.
According to Deidun, the past two summers have seen almost no sightings of the species. He suggested that many mauve stingers may have moved into deeper waters to escape the damaging effects of high temperatures near the sea surface.
The species typically returns to surface waters in early winter to spawn and reproduce. However, it remains too early to determine whether the latest sighting signals a wider return of the jellyfish to Maltese coastal waters.
Deidun also encouraged the public to participate in the Spot the Jellyfish citizen science campaign, which collects sightings to help monitor jellyfish populations around the Maltese Islands.
Photo source: Dr. Andrew Zammit
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