Seasonality and new observations on Dondice banyulensis Portmann & Sandmeier, 1960 (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia) along the central-eastern coast of Sicily

The present study explores the seasonality of Dondice banyulensis and presents new observations on its behavior. This study was conducted between 2017 and 2020 in different sites along the central-eastern coast of Sicily (Italy). The only site where it was possible to obtain data on seasonality was Santa Maria La Scala, because the species proved present there, all year-round.. Through observations made during our research and from the literature, we hypothesize that this nudibranch bases its post-larval life supply on hydrozoans and subsequently, reaching a larger size, it becomes capable of preying upon other nudibranchs. D. banyulensis seems thus to be present all year-round in ecosystems rich in hydrozoan colonies of the genus Eudendrium and other nudibranch species associated with them, such as Flabellina affinis and Cratena peregrina.