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The Capo di Fiume site is located at the north-eastern margin of the Monte Porrara, a few km south of the town of Palena, in the Chieti province. The section consists of paralic to open marine mud-dominated Messinian deposits overlying a relatively thick terra rossa horizon, testifying a prolonged subaerial exposure. Fissile marls and laminated argillites overlie the terra rossa horizon. These deposits record the passage from palustrine to brackish (freshwater marshes, tidal creeks, swamp, estuarine bay) paleobiotopes. Marine deposits overlie freshwater to brackish marls; these deposits consist of not less than six cycles of alternated dark grey calcareous marls and finely laminated ichthyolitiferous diatomitic marls. The diatomitic marls consist of a dense series of clastic-biogenic (diatomitic) couplets. Several types of laminae have been identified based on chromatic characters, thickness, lateral extension, biological content and other morphological features. The macrofossil content of the diatomitic marls is relatively rich and includes well-preserved articulated skeletal remains of teleost fishes primarily represented by clupeids of the genus Spratelloides, a single articulated skeleton assigned to the ochotonid Prolagus cf. apricenicus, bird feathers, rare decapods crustaceans, insects, and bivalves and plant remains. Foraminiferans are rather scarce exclusively represented by ammoniids, bolivinids and rare dwarfed globigerinids. Fish skeletons are mainly associated with thick continuous laminae formed by massive accumulation of Thalassionema nitzschioides and/or Coscinodiscus sp. The preservation of fish skeletal remains seems to be primarily …