It ranges in coloration from olivaceus or blackish brown to yellowish brown. The inside nacre is white to purplish and moderately iridescent. 

The Alabama pearlshell is medium in size the outside of the shell, called the periostracum, is smooth, shiny and somewhat roughened along the posterior slope.

Measurements:
Length: 3.7 in (95 mm)

The Alabama pearlshell has been found in small headwater streams with slow to moderate current and substrates that consist of mixed sand, gravel or sandy mud. Most stream locations where Alabama pearlshell are found either have no aquatic vegetation or have limited quantities of Ludwigia spp., Justicia spp., and or filamentous algae, as documented by D.N. Shelton in 1996, and as T.B. Fobian described in 2013, can be characterized by braided channeling or by stable pools and riffles. These streams are generally between 3 and 6 meters wide with a typical water depth of less than 1 meter, as documented by D.N. Shelton in 1996.

Freshwater mussels use a siphon to filter algae, bacteria, phytoplankton and other particles from the water column.

The Alabama pearlshell has a unique life cycle that is similar to other species of freshwater mussels. Males release sperm into the water column to fertilize females. Females filter sperm from the water and brood fertilized eggs, which develop into microscopic larvae called glochidia, in their gills. Females release glochidia when they detect the presence of fish. The glochidia attach themselves to the fish’s gills and become parasites for some time, which can range from several days to weeks. Once they have transformed into microscopic juveniles, they fall off of the fish’s gills and settle into substrate at the bottom of a stream or river.

Field observations noted by Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources biologists and laboratory studies conducted at the Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center have concluded that female Alabama pearlshell brood their eggs in early to mid-March. Biologists have also identified redfin pickerel (Esox americanus) and chain pickerel (Esox niger) as good laboratory host fishes for this species.