The southern clubshell lives burrowed in gravel and sand at the bottom of large creeks and rivers where it filters food from the water column.

The southern clubshell is a medium-sized mussel, with a roughly rectangular, yellow to yellowish brown shell.

Females release packages, called conglutinates, of parasitic larvae or glochidia in late spring or early summer. The larva will attach and grow if they come into contact with certain minnow species (Cyprinella venusta, C. callistia or C. trichroistia). After a period of time on their host fish, juvenile southern clubshell will begin to drop off their host fish to begin a sedentary life on the stream bottom.