The internal morphology of the productide brachiopod Anidanthus ussuricus from the Middle Permian of the Takakurayama area, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, shows an evident pattern of brachial ridges that are identified as a four-lobed ptycholophe of the feeding organ or lophophore. Because a ptycholophe has not previously been identified in productidines, we describe this structure to provide further insight into the morphology of the productide lophophore. A comparison of the lophophores between the productides and the extant thecideoids suggested that during the growth of productides, the disposition of a multilobed ptycholophe requires the development of elevated platform-like ridges or the enlargement of the dorsal valve, both of which provide greater area for the attachment of the lophophore. In contrast, the simple ptycholophe of Anidanthus is located on a faint relief of brachial ridges, which agrees with what has been observed for the thecideoid ptycholophe. Because the productide shell form plays a role in the generation of passive feeding flows, it is expected that the productide feeding system, which supplies the energetic demands of the organism, would develop in response to the interaction between the lophophore and the overall shell form of productides.