Such forms are also found in northeastern Africa (coastal areas of Morocco to Tunisia, Hoggar Mountains in Algeria), as well as in the Highlands up to 2240 m above sea level in Ethiopia.

[5][6] It was found in Saudi Arabia (Brown and Wright 1980, Neubert 1998) and Yemen (Al-Safadi 1990) and in Caucasus (Armenia), but it is not known in the Afrotropical region.

They need a hard substrate with suitable (not too low and not too rich) algae growth, which is why they are frequent in fresh water in Central Europe especially in rivers and streams.

Southern European, North African and Middle East representative of the species group can survive exposure due to low water levels, to a certain extent, by forming a protective layer on the underside of the shell.

In Central European forms, this is possible only to a limited extent, but they may survive low water levels by adhering firmly on the stone surface.