 The natural range of "M. pfefferi" extends from Mandurah in Western Australia (), northeastward to Moreton Bay in southern Queensland (), and across the Arafura Sea to the southern coast of New Guinea.The species has also been recorded from Sulawesi and the Maluku Islands in Indonesia, and even as far west as the Malaysian islands of Mabul and Sipadan.They are also common in the Philippines and are frequently sighted in the Visayas.