T. hirtipes can be distinguished from members of the genus Discoplax by the smooth and distinctly inflated carapace.

It is also blue or blue-brown in colour, compared to purple or purple-brown in the remaining species.

[2] The breeding season for T. hirtipes lasts seven months, and females must migrate to the sea to release their larvae.

[4] It has been recorded from southern Japan, Taiwan, southern China, Palau, Guam, eastern Australia, Fiji, Hawaii (a single record, almost certainly erroneous), the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore.

[4] In late 2018, a re-examination of the taxonomy of Gecarcinidae resulted in the creation of the genus Tuerkayana, which was created with four species from Cardisoma and Discoplax, including hirtipes.