The Round Hickorynut was historically known in 12 states and the Province of Ontario. In Canada, this species was found in western Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair and the Welland, Grand, Sydenham, Thames and Detroit Rivers. It has been lost from Lake Erie, the Detroit River, and the offshore waters of Lake St. Clair due to impacts of the Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha). It has apparently been lost from the Grand and Thames Rivers and has significantly declined in the Sydenham River. This species prefers rivers with steady, moderate flows, and sand and gravel substrates at depths of up to 2 m.

The Round Hickorynut is easily distinguished by its almost perfectly round shape. The shell is thick and solid, and dark-brown in colour with a lighter band along the posterior-dorsal surface. The inside of a Round Hickorynut's shell is silvery white with an occasional tinge of blue or pink.

Adults are relatively small, growing to about six cm in length, and live attached to gravel and sand substrates in rivers and shallow lake region. The Round Hickorynut is a moderately long-lived mussel that has a lifespan of approximately 10 years.