The Texas pimpleback occurs in medium to large-sized streams and rivers in riffle and run habitats of heterogenous substrates, or sometimes in gravel-filled cracks in the bedrock, often at depths less than 2 meters and aren’t known to tolerate impoundments.

The Texas pimpleback is a small to medium-sized freshwater mussel with a moderately inflated, subquadrate to suboval shell. The shell’s beaks are full, high and elevated above the hinge line with two to four rows of sculpturing on the umbo. The shell disc typically lacks sculpturing but has parallel ridges along its broadly rounded posterior slope. The interior shell surface, or nacre, is typically white and iridescent. 

Measurements
Length: Approaching 4 in (100 mm)

Texas pimpleback's shell colors range from yellow to tan, brown to black and will occasionally have vague green rays or concentric blotches, but these markings are not considered to be diagnostic shell characters. 

The Texas pimpleback, like all freshwater mussels, has an interesting life history. Males release sperm into the water column, which is taken in by the female fertilizing her eggs. The developing larvae are held by the female until they mature and are ready for release. The mature larvae, called glochidia, are released in proximity to a fish host and attach to the host’s gills or fins. Glochidia that fail to attach to a suitable host or attach to the wrong location will die. Attached glochidia encyst or implant into the host and develop into juvenile mussels over a period of weeks or months. Once fully developed, the juveniles excyst, or break away, from the host and settle on the stream bottom leaving their host relatively unharmed.

Texas pimpleback are considered to be short-term brooders, or tachytictic. It is expected that the species utilizes similar host fishes as those identified for the closely related Guadalupe orb, including channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris), yellow bullhead (Amerius natalis) and tadpole madtom (Noturus gyrinus). 

While no age at maturity information exists for Texas pimpleback, similar species like congeners (Quadrula spp.; now Cyclonaias) and members of tribe Quadrulini have reached a maximum age of 15 to 72 years and 15 to 91 years, respectively.

Like all other freshwater mussel species, Texas pimpleback are filter feeders that feed and survive on organic particulate matter, bacteri, and algae that are filtered from the water column. Juvenile mussels live in the sediment and most likely feed interstitially rather than from the water column, using the relatively large muscular foot to sweep organic and inorganic particles found among the substrate into the shell opening.