A comprehensive updated review of published literature on xanthochromic malpigmentation in wild marine fishes is provided for the first time, with 68 species reported, including seven elasmobranchs and 61 teleosts. The revision highlights the difficulty in separating similar natural colourings from abnormal ones, the presence of some probably misidentified species and the higher occurrence of this phenomenon in some taxonomic groups. The capture of a specimen of the sharpsnout seabream Diplodus puntazzo with abnormal skin coloration is reported. The specimen was caught in northern Spain (Galician waters, North-eastern Atlantic) in 2022 with gillnets. The general yellow-orange pigmentation, lead us to consider the specimen as xanthochromic. This is the first case of xanthism in Diplodus puntazzo and the third record of this colour aberration in the family Sparidae. The identification of the specimen was made based on morphological characters and confirmed by DNA barcoding. A description of the anomalous compared to normal colouration was also carried out.