It lives in rocky reefs, and is thought to lay large eggs that have a short larval phase, or that hatch directly as a juvenile.

[4][6] Accounts of the colouration of H. capensis are very variable, from tawny, red or yellow to "a rather dark olive", similar to Homarus gammarus.

The rostrum of the Cape lobster is flattened, while that of Homarus is rounded in section, and curves upwards at the tip.

[6] In 1992, a Cape lobster was discovered at Dassen Island, and the publicity the find generated resulted in more than 20 additional specimens being reported.

[9] The species reached its current classification in 1995, when the monotypic genus Homarinus was erected by Irv Kornfield, Austin B. Williams and Robert S.

[8] Both genera lack ornamentation such as spines and carinae, but are thought to have reached that state independently, through convergent evolution.