Chlidonophora incerta

Chlidonophora incerta is extant to the present day but its complete fossil range is unknown. There have been a total of 125 occurrences of the species, mainly in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean sea and the North Atlantic ocean off the east coast of Europe.^[1] There are 2 synonymous names, Megerlia incerta and Terebratulina incerta both of which are unaccepted.^[2]

Chlidonophora incerta lives in the deep waters of the Atlantic ocean in the Benthic zone.^[3] It is blind like all other species of Rhynchonellata. It is stationary and attached to a surface like all other brachiopods. It is a filter feeder and its diet consists of suspended food particles in the water like phytoplankton. It has a taphonomy of low mg calcite like all other brachiopods.^[4] It is also gonochoric, i.e. there are 2 genders, male and female and an organism is only one gender throughout its lifetime like in humans.^[3]

Firstly, the mother sheds the eggs into the water. The eggs are fertilized during the time of spawning. They hatch into free-swimming larvae that metamorphose into adults which are stationary and cannot move freely.^[3]