New insights on the seasonal trend of Goniodoridella picoensis (Paz-Sedano, Ortigosa & Pola, 2017) along the central-eastern coast of Sicily: A possible warning of its expansion and establishment in the Mediterranean Sea?
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Goniodoridella picoensis is a nudibranch species originally described from Pico Island (Azores, Atlantic Ocean). After its description, the reports of this species suddenly increased in a short timeframe, leading to two main hypotheses: one that it is native to the entire Atlanto-Mediterranean region, the other that it is a non-indigenous species that entered the Mediterranean from the Atlantic Ocean. The present study explored the seasonal trend of G. picoensis along the central-eastern coast of Sicily to understand whether this species is non-indigenous and its possible pattern of spread and establishment in that area. To carry out this research, a photographic visual census activity through scuba dives was performed in four sites with different anthropogenic pressures (Ognina, Santa Maria La Scala, Scalo Pennisi, and Acque Fredde) throughout three years (from 2021 to 2023). A similar seasonal trend was found in all the sites. The number of individuals of this species started to increase in the autumn months, maintained or rose during the spring, and throughout the summer months underwent a sharp decline. The negative correlation between the temperature and the number of specimens also evidenced this seasonal trend. Indeed, even if this species can tolerate a wide temperature range, it would seem to prefer lower temperatures, like those of the winter-spring months, when there is a higher availability of food supply. The sites with the highest number of specimens were Scalo Pennisi and Acque Fredde, probably both because of the higher natural conditions compared to the other sites and because of the influence of tidal currents of the Strait of Messina and the upwelling currents of the Ionian Sea, which might act as a veliger conveyor belt. Overall, from 2021 to 2023, an increase in assemblages’ size was observed in all the sites. Moreover, the breeding activity was documented between 2022 and 2023. Considering the above, G. picoensis is most likely a non-indigenous species coming from the Atlantic Ocean. The collected data reflect that this species has settled in these study areas in the last years and indicate that G. picoensis is establishing stable populations there. Indeed, the probability that this species is Atlanto-Mediterranean and has been so far overlooked seems unlikely, not only due to the intense research in the Mediterranean area but also for the conspicuousness of this species.
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