It is found in tropical seas in the Indo-Pacific region and the empty shells are prized for use in decorative crafts.

The range extends from Mauritius and Sri Lanka to southern Japan, Melanesia and northern Australia.

It is a benthic species, living buried in sand or mud between low tide mark and a depth of 60 m (200 ft).

[2] Fragum unedo has a symbiotic relationship with certain micro-algae, zooxanthellae, which live in the mantle and other soft tissues.

It is heliophilous, meaning that it needs to expose its mantle above the substrate in order to maximise the amount of sunlight available for photosynthesis.