Like many mussels, it is threatened by water pollution from agriculture, industry, and other development, such as acid mine drainage and sedimentation.

The anterior end is elongated and round and the border of the shell is marked with fine ridges.

[3] The elktoe is most commonly found in small, fast-moving, and shallow rivers, however, it can survive in larger bodies of water.

Juvenile mussels will then live in substrate and filter feed until they develop into adults.

All freshwater mussels in North America have suffered an extreme decline in population growth and increase in extinction rate due to habitat loss, deterioration, fragmentation, and pollution.

Future conservation efforts should focus on maintaining the natural habitat of the mussels from deterioration and pollution from both industrial and residential points.