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

Abstract The Villaggio del Pescatore (VdP) fossil Lagerstätte represents the most significant Upper Cretaceous (lower–middle Campanian) palaeontological locality in Italy and the Mediterranean region. We present the first systematic revision of the VdP fossil assemblage with a focus on its previously undescribed arthropod fauna, providing new insights into its taxonomic diversity and palaeoenvironmental and palaeobiogeographical significance. Among the identified 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 presence of new taxa, although the available material precludes formal taxonomic designation. The co‐occurrence of palaemonids 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 exuviae suggests a nursery habitat, potentially reflecting reproductive 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 biogeographical connections between Eurasian landmasses, consilient with the known vertebrate communities described from VdP. This study provides a foundational understanding of this community and offers novel perspectives on the ecosystem dynamics and faunal composition of this exceptional locality.