Exploring the Nudibranchia diversity, a specialized group of gastropods, from ports and marinas revealed a powerful way to early detect Mediterranean non-indigenous species and to uncover overlooked endemic diversity. During a survey in the Port of Civitavecchia, Rome, Italy (Tyrrhenian Sea), one specimen belonging to the neglected genus Vayssierea Risbec, 1928 was detected. Morphological and molecular analyses, based on the C...

The Mediterranean Sea is recognized as a hot spot of biodiversity, but the ever-increasing commercial and recreational marine traffic and global warming pose significant threats to its fauna by enabling and facilitating, respectively, the introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS). To mitigate negative effects in the native communities, greater efforts are being made to generate updated lists of NIS and to monitor their spre...

This study investigates the Heterobranchia species present in the harbours of the Salento Peninsula, in southern Italy, in the central Mediterranean Sea. A total of 158 specimens from 21 families and 54 species were recorded from 2020 to 2025, including five non-indigenous species (NIS): Anteaeolidiella lurana , Bermudella polycerelloides , Camachoaglaja africana , Polycera hedgpethi and Stiliger cf . auarita . Among the total...