[1] It was found in Central and South America and by Alcide d'Orbigny, a French naturalist, in 1842, where it was assigned the synonym Mytilus charruanus.

[5][6] The charru mussel is native to Panama, Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela, but is invasive to Southeastern U.S., the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and India.

Specifically, the indigenous range of the mytilid Mytella strigata extends along the Eastern coast of South America from Venezuela to Argentina and in the Pacific from Sonora, Mexico to El Salvador.

[12] Mytella strigata is an epifaunal tropical and subtropical mussel colonizing rocky substrates in estuaries primarily along the Atlantic and Caribbean coasts of South America.

[13] Since the charru mussel is Native in warmer climates, such as Central and South America, the species has  invaded other close by warm waters.

M. strigata populations moved to southeastern United States, specifically Florida and Georgia and has since been found at these areas.