New findings of Nudipleura (Mollusca: Gastropoda) along the central-eastern coast of Sicily (Ionian Sea)

Abstract

The present short note reports the finding of five Nudipleura species: one (Taringa cf. telopia) new for the Mediterranean, two (Doto maculata and Okenia longiductis) new for Sicily, one (Berthella stellata) new for the central-eastern coast of Sicily and, finally, a new record of Taringa tritorquis for the same area. For each species, information on date and site of finding, external morphology, taxonomic history, previous reports and remarks, are discussed. The finding of these species could depend on two different reasons: 1) the examined areas are transit zones for several ships which could transport the veligers or/and juvenile stages through fouling or ballast water; 2) since in these areas the marine Heterobranchia fauna has been poorly studied, many of the found species could have been overlooked until now. This work highlights the importance of a continuous monitoring to expand and deepen the knowledge of marine Heterobranchia fauna.