Available farmed, these freshwater shellfish are native to Western Australia and prefer sandy bottoms in deeper areas of rivers and streams, though they also survive in well-oxygenated dams. Aquaculture began in the 1970s and they are now farmed on Kangaroo Island (SA) as well as in WA.
They are endemic to Australia and in 2002 were divided into two separate species based on whether their shells are smooth or hairy. Hairy Marron (C. tenuimanus), endemic to the Margaret River region, is now protected from recreational capture as its population is in decline due to competition from smooth marron (C. cainii), which only arrived in the region in the mid-80s.