The Asian paddle crab, also know as the Lady Crab, is an introduced crab that usually lives in the waters off South East Asia.
The paddle crab is not native to Western Australia but has significant potential to establish here and become a pest.
Asian paddle crabs vary widely in colour from mottled cream and purple, pale green to olive green and yellow to deep chestnut. They have five spines on their front claws, six spines to the side of each eye and spines between their eyes. Like some of our native crabs, the Asian paddle crab also has swimming paddles on its back legs, however full-grown adults are smaller than our blue swimmer and brown mud crabs.
This species can be found near artificial reefs and pylons in both marine and estuarine environments. They are highly aggressive and compete with other aquatic species for space and food. The Asian paddle crab can carry a number of diseases that have the potential to devastate our aquatic ecosystems and human health so it is important to report any which are seen or caught in the wild.
To find out more and what to do if you find one visit the biosecurity section of the Fisheries website.