Available wild-caught, these marine crustaceans are found from the NSW-Queensland border to Bass Strait and the north-eastern coast of Tasmania, from close inshore to depths of over 200m, mainly in areas of exposed reef. Their fishery is comparatively small, but valuable given their popularity in the Sydney market.
They are caught in baited traps, mainly off NSW. They look similar to Southern Rock Lobsters, but their shell is greeny-black before cooking, instead of orange-red, and the tail is smooth.
They differ from Tropical and Western Rock Lobsters in that their antennae and antennules (between the antennae) are short and the flagella on the antennules aren’t forked. Rock Lobsters are mostly active after dark and are carnivorous scavengers, feeding on bottom-dwelling invertebrates.