Camarotoechia brachiopod

[Mainefossils]

I finished prepping this specimen recently, an unidentified Camarotoechia brachiopod. It exhibits an uncommon/rare orange coloration; only about 1/100 of Camarotoechia brachiopods show it. This one, though, unfortunately has some compression damage on the right side, and some of the ridges have pieces missing. 

 

The pictures below first show the pre-prep photo (which I finally remembered to take), and the post-prep. 

 

Thanks everyone for reading! 

 

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

A young 'Camarotoechia' leightoni, I would suggest. They had sharp costae in their early stages that get broader and flatter as they mature. 

Very nice. 

[Misha]

These brachiopods are so beautiful!

[Mainefossils]

Thanks @Tidgy's Dad for the info! I didn't realize that their was such a difference between immature and mature brachiopods. 

 

Thanks @Misha! I'm glad you like them. 

[Tidgy's Dad]

They can change in lots of ways. Size for one.

But, seriously, some brachiopods produce more costae as they get bigger, in others the costae will split, but some species keep the same number of original costae and in some cases these will become broader and / or flatter as in their juvenile stage they had to be thin and sharp just to fit the size of the shell

Edited August 4, 2021 by Tidgy's Dad