A marine crustacean with a reddish-brown shell, broad flat head with eyes close to the centre, short narrower tail and 5 pairs of small legs. Currently only available wild-caught, though aquaculture research is underway.
Found mainly on the continental slope, from 15m-650m, most commonly less than 150m, south from Fraser Island in Queensland to Geraldton in WA (with a pocket further north on the North-West Shelf from Port Hedland to Broome) though caught primarily off the NSW coast as bycatch of fish and Prawn trawling (and specifically targeted in some areas). They often bury themselves in sand or mud during the day and become active after dark.
Ibacus peronii is the largest and commercially most important member of the seven Ibacus species found in Australia (others include Ibacus alticrenatus and Ibacus chacei).