Genus Metaprotella Mayer, 1890

Diagnosis. Head fused (suture present) with pereonite 1. Antenna 1 well developed; flagellum with more than 2 articles. Antenna 2 well developed; flagellum with 2 articles. Mandible well developed; molar present, well developed; palp 3-articulate, setal formula 1-x-y-1 or 1-x- 1. Maxilliped well developed; inner plate (basal endite) smaller than outer plate (ischial endite); outer plate (ischial endite) well developed; palp article 3 with distal projection; palp article 4 well developed. Pereonite 4 clavate appendage absent. Pereonites 6 and 7 completely fused (dorsal suture absent). Pereopod 3 vestigial; with 1 article. Pereopod 4 vestigial; with 1 article. Pereopod 5 well developed, with 7 articles, with sparse, short setae and well developed dactylus. Pereopods 6 and 7 well developed, with 7 articles. Gills on pereonites 3 and 4. Pleopods absent. Uropods 2 pairs; biarticulate, uniramous and vestigial. Telson (dorsal lobe) present.

Type Species. Protella Haswelliana Mayer, 1882, by monotypy.

Remarks. The diagnosis of the Metaprotella is modified from that provided by Takeuchi (1993) and Larsen (1997). Recently Takeuchi & Lowry (unpubl.) have developed a generic and species level DELTA database for New South Wales caprelloid taxa. The diagnostic description of Metaprotella is generated from this database, based only on the type species, M. haswelliana . Since pereopods 5 to 7 are missing from all the specimens of M. haswelliana (Mayer, 1882), the diagnosis of pereopod 5 is inferred from the descriptions of Metaprotella sandalensis Mayer, 1898 (see Müller 1990; Laubitz 1991) and M. unguja Larsen, 1997 (see Larsen 1997); both species were well described in the last two decades.