Available wild-caught and farmed, these marine crustaceans are closely related to Tropical Rock Lobsters. Found from Shark Bay to Albany, WA they are endemic to Australia. They shelter under rocks, on ledges and among coral to depths of 200m, although commonly 35-60m.
By far the most valuable commercial species in Australia (worth over half the value of total Australian finfish catch), they are caught mainly in pots and mostly exported live or frozen to Japan, Taiwan or China.
They are less colourful than Tropical Rock Lobsters, their reddish-purple shell (pale pink if freshly moulted) has fine fur on it, their antennae are very long and the flagella on the medium-length antennules between the antennae are also long and forked (though not as long as those on the tropical). Rock Lobsters are mostly active after dark and are carnivorous scavengers, feeding on bottom-dwelling invertebrates.