Rhaphidophora Serville, 1838

Rhaphidophora Serville, 1838 [1839]. Histoire naturelle des insectes. Orthoptères: 389; Bolívar, 1880. Annales de la Société Entomologique de b France, 5 (10), 72; Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1888. Ƒerhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 38: 294; Kirby, 1890. Scientific Proceedings of the Royal Dublin Society, 6: 577; Kirby, 1906. A Synonymic Catalogue of Orthoptera ( Orthoptera Saltatoria, Locustidae vel Acridiidae), 2: 123; Karny, 1924. Treubia, 5(1–3): 35; Ramme, 1930. Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum in Berlin, 16(2): 396; Karny, 1937. Orthoptera Fam. Gryllacrididae, Subfamiliae Omnes, 206: 239; Gorochov, 1999. Entomologicheskor Obozrenie, 78(1): 61; Otte, 2000. Orthoptera Species File 8: Gryllacrididae, Stenopelmatidae, Cooloolidae, Schizodactylidae, Anastostomatidae, and Rhaphidophoridae: 78; Gorochov, 2002. Entomologicheskor Obozrenie, 81(2): 326; Gorochov, 2012. Entomological Review, 92(7): 757; Tan, 2012. Orthoptera in the Bukit Timah and Central Catchment Nature Reserves (Part 2): Suborder Ensifera: 38; Gorochov, 2013. Entomological Review, 92(9): 1138.

Type species: Rhaphidophora picea Serville (= loricata), by subsequent designation

Generic diagnosis. Body medium. Fastigium verticis depressed, projecting forward, dorsal surface with 1 median furrow. Eyes small, lateral ocelli widely spaced. Anterior and posterior margins of pronotum subtruncate; lateral lobes longer than high. Prosternum without any processes or lobes; mesosternum transverse broad with anterior and posterior margins nearly truncate; ventral surface of metosternum slightly concave. Legs slender. Fore coxae obviously inflated, with 1 small spine. Fore femora armed ventrally, apices with ventral spines; apices of middle femora armed ventrally on both margins; hind femora with 2 rows of spines on dorsal surface. Tarsi depressed, without pulvilli, dorsal surface of hind basitarsi with some small spines. Abdominal tergite without any processes or lobes. Male epiproct weakly specialized, lamellar; genitalia without sclerites, median lobe of dorsal fold with a median longitudinal process on ventral surface, ventral fold with small lateral lobes.

Currently, the genus is divided into 2 species groups (Gorochov, 1999, 2010, 2012, 2013): the first group with the following combination of characters: fore tibiae with 2 apical spines on ventral surface, male epiproct more or less specialized bearing a process or a curved, narrowed, or bifurcate apical area, ovipositor wide in lateral view, apical area of ventral margin serrate; the second group with the following combination of characters: fore tibiae with 3 or 4 apical spines ventrally, male epiproct simple, ventral margin of ovipositor with apical area smooth. The Chinese species belong to the first group.