Only recently have substantial efforts been made to understand phylogenetic relationships among freshwater mussels of the western United States and Canada. Genetic studies show the existence of two divergent clades in western Anodonta, one containing Anodonta californiensis and Anodonta nuttalliana, and another containing Anodonta oregonensis and Anodonta kennerlyi, but relationships within these two clades remain unclear. For example, some authors have placed A. californiensis in the synonymy of A. nuttalliana, but additional taxonomic information is needed to resolve these issues. We examined glochidial shell size and fine structure of these four species to assess the taxonomic utility of these characters. Glochidia of A. oregonensis and A. kennerlyi were similar in size and fine structure, which supports their proposed close relationship. Glochidia of A. californiensis and A. nuttalliana were smaller in all dimensions than A. oregonensis and A. kennerlyi, which supports the existence of two divergent clades. However, shell size and fine structure also differed between A. californiensis and A. nuttalliana, which supports the distinctiveness of these two taxa. Glochidial characters may help to clarify evolutionary relationships among western U.S. Anodonta and other problematic groups.