Jenkins, 1972
Supraorbital spine followed by a strong toothed ridge which extends almost to the postcervical groove. Posterior part of carapace with several longitudinal carinae. Antennal spine followed by a strong carina. Left and right chelipeds of the first pair similar in size and shape. Palm of first chela distinctly longer than wide. A distinct carina separates the abdominal tergites from the pleura. First abdominal sternite of the male with a median spine.
Type Species: by original designation: Nephrops japonicus Tapparone-Canefri, 1873.
All of the tropical western Atlantic and Indo-West Pacific lobsters formerly assigned to the genus Nephrops, are now placed in Metanephrops. The known species of that genus now number 17, not including the fossil species.
Most of the known species are of good size and all are considered either of present or potential commercial importance and therefore, all are enumerated here.