An Upper Cretaceous arthropod assemblage from Villaggio del Pescatore (Campanian, Italy) and its implications for peri‐Tethyan palaeobiogeography and palaeoecology

The Villaggio del Pescatore (VdP) fossil Lagerst€atte represents the most significant Upper Cretaceous (lower–middle Campanian) palaeontological locality in Italy and the Mediterranean region. We present the first systema- tic revision of the VdP fossil assemblage with a focus on its previously undescribed arthropod fauna, providing new insights into its taxonomic diversity and palaeoenvironmen- tal and palaeobiogeographical significance. Among the iden- tified arthropods, a caridean assigned to the family Palaemonidae Rafinesque, a single cirolanid isopod, and an undetermined insect mark their first recorded occurrences in the latest Cretaceous of the peri-Mediterranean region. Their stratigraphic and biogeographic distribution suggest the pre- sence of new taxa, although the available material precludes formal taxonomic designation. The co-occurrence of palae- monids and cirolanids, both associated with estuarine and lagoonal habitats, supports the interpretation of VdP as a marginal environment characterized by brackish to freshwater conditions. The abundance of small decapod exu- viae suggests a nursery habitat, potentially reflecting repro- ductive dynamics akin to extant euryhaline or amphidromous palaemonids, and the taphonomy of larger arthropod carcasses suggests that microbial mat growth played a role in fossil preservation. Closely related arthropod taxa from the Early–Late Cretaceous with a widespread peri-Tethyan distribution (i.e. shared between the biotas of Las Hoyas in Spain and Jehol in China) suggest close biogeo- graphical connections between Eurasian landmasses, consili- ent with the known vertebrate communities described from VdP. This study provides a foundational understanding of this community and offers novel perspectives on the ecosys- tem dynamics and faunal composition of this exceptional locality.