Unlike many other lampsilines, the Neosho mucket is a short-term breeder in that it spawns and broods from May until August. Brooded larvae are released from the females’ marsupial gills within a few weeks after egg fertilization. This stands in contrast to other lampsilines which begin producing eggs in fall, brood them over winter after fertilization, and release larvae the following spring or summer. Reduction in breeding duration in this mussel to last for only one season is probably adaptive due to minimizing potential risk of exposure of eggs and larvae on the gills during brooding to microbial predators and bacteria. Alternatively, the Neosho mucket may benefit from the greater availability of energy reserves in spring than in winter.