The Rainbow is most abundant in shallow, well-oxygenated reaches of small to medium-sized rivers and sometimes lakes, on substrates of cobble, gravel, sand and occasionally mud.

The Rainbow is a small, freshwater mussel. It has a compressed, long and elliptical in shape with an average length 55 mm; maximum length roughly 85 mm. The Rainbow has medium-sized and well developed hinge teeth. Its colour is yellow, yellowish green or brown shell with many broken, dark green rays of differing widths.