Two long spines (‘horns’) projecting forward from the front of the carapace beside the eyes. It has an orange-red colour in shallow water, gradually changing to a reddish purple or lighter colour at depth. . After a larval stage (thought to last for 8-9 months) the animals settle in large numbers in narrow crevices on shallow reefs. Growth is quite variable between sites, with the largest animals living for more than 20 years. The scientific name of this species has changed in recent times; it was originally classed with the South African species J. lalandii, then given its own name J. novaehollandiae, and is now regarded as the same as the New Zealand species J. edwardsii.

• Max Size: 23 cm
• Sea Temperature Range: 11.3-21.6°C
• Depth: 1-250 m
• Habitat: Rocky Reef

• IUCN Threat Status: Least Concern
• Occurrence: Common (38% of sites)
  Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
• Abundance: Few (3 per transect)
  Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.