The Asian shore crab, Hemigrapsus sanguineus was reported in Australia in November 2020. Multiple crabs were found in eastern Port Phillip Bay, Victoria. Females in berry (with eggs) were found with an estimated age of 18 months. 

It is most commonly found on rocky intertidal and subtidal shores. The species is native to the western North Pacific Ocean and appeared on the east coast of North America in the mid-1980s and in Europe since 1999 and has spread. The ecology and invasion history was reviewed in detail by Epifanio (2013). Considerable research has been done since that date on invasion history (Blakeslee et al., 2017), changes in population density (Bloch et al., 2019; Kraemer, 2019) and other ecological topics, especially in the NW Atlantic.

The carapace (shell) of the Asian shore crab is oval, widest near the mid-length, tapering posteriorly, with three teeth along each side, the first besides the eye, the second about a quarter and the third about halfway back. The front, between the eyes, occupies half the carapace width. The carapace colour ranges from green to purple to orange-brown to red. The walking legs have light and dark transverse bands; the claws have red spots. Male crabs have a distinctive fleshy, bulb-like structure (pulvinus) at the base of the moveable finger on the claws. The carapace can reach a maximum width of 50 mm, but generally range in size from 35 mm to 42 mm. The precise arrangement of teeth on the carapace distinguishes the species from other shore crabs.

The Asian shore crab inhabits intertidal, more rarely subtidal, rocky shores. The species aggregates at high densities under rocks.