Its natural habitat was riffles and shoals of medium rivers, which have now largely been destroyed by dam construction and dredging.

[4]: 71670 Like most other mussels in the sensitive genus Epioblasma, this species experienced severe declines during industrialization due to pollution, siltation and habitat destruction.

The last known population was recorded in 1965 from the Duck River in Tennessee, near the town of Normandy.

This population was killed by the construction of Normandy Dam in the following years.

[7] A recently dead specimen was collected in the Duck River at Normandy in 1972.