Late Cretaceous rudist facies distribution in southern Apennines and in Apulia, Italy

Upper Cretaceous carbonate sediments characterized by rudist bivalves are extensively distributed in southern Apennines and in Apulia (southern Italy) and they may be roughly grouped into inner and outer carbonate platform deposits. The fossils, sparsely distributed within these shallow water sediments, are more numerous and diversified in the outer platform settings where they consist predominantly of bivalves (mainly rudists) and, subordinately, of gastropods (mainly nerineids), corals, and benthic microfossils. Locally, crustaceans (crabs), ammonites and planktic organisms have also been found in some localities of Apulia. In this work, three main time intervals (Cenomanian-Turonian, Coniacian-Campanian p.p. and Campanian p.p.-Maastrichtian.) have been investigated having in mind that taxonomic and sistematic questions regarding rudist palaeontology are still unresolved. Each one is characterized by specific fossil associations and by peculiar sedimentary characters. These intervals correspond to the main depositional systems recognized in the evolution of the peri-Tethyan carbonate platforms, whose development was controlled by tectonics and/or eustasy.