Rhaphidophora minutispina, Yu & Liu & Bian & Zhang, 2025

Rhaphidophora minutispina sp. nov.

微ḦȆdz

Figures 3–4 View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4

Description. Male. Body medium. Head. Head and pronotum as other species of the genus. Legs. Fore coxae with 1 spine; femora with 1 short ventral spine on internal margin; tibiae ventrally with 1 internal and 2 external spines, apices with 1 pair of spines on ventral surface. Middle femora with 1 pair of apical spines; tibiae dorsally with 2 pairs of spines, ventral surface with 1–3 pairs of spines, apices with 1 pair of spines on dorsal and ventral surfaces separately. Hind femora with 1 short internal spine ( Fig. 3E View FIGURE 3 ); tibiae dorsally with 19–25 internal spines, 21–23 external spines, and 1 pair of small subapical spines, apices with 1 pair of dorsal spines and 2 pairs of ventral spines; basitarsi with 4–6 small spines and 1 apical spine on dorsal surface along the midline ( Fig. 3F View FIGURE 3 ).

Abdomen. Posterior margin of tenth abdominal tergite faintly concave in middle. Dorsal surface of epiproct with obviously raised lateral margins, between them concave ( Fig. 3H View FIGURE 3 ), and then prolonged into a pair of wide spines ( Fig. 3G View FIGURE 3 ), the internal margin of the spine with 1 minute spine about the middle area ( Fig. 3H View FIGURE 3 ); ventral surface of epiproct transverse, posterolateral area with 1 thin spine on each side, its apices directing forward and acute ( Fig. 3I View FIGURE 3 ). Subgenital plate wider than long, lateral margins convex, posterior margin truncate; styli conical, about two times as long as subgenital plate, inserted on the posterolateral areas of the plate ( Fig. 3K View FIGURE 3 ), apices subacute.

Female. Tenth abdominal tergite concave in middle ( Fig. 4G View FIGURE 4 ). Epiproct roughly triangular, dorsal surface concave along middle, posterior margin rounded ( Fig. 4G View FIGURE 4 ). Cerci slender. Seventh abdominal sternite longer than the preceding sternites. Subgenital plate semi-circular, separated by a prolonged membranous zone from the preceding sternite ( Fig. 4I View FIGURE 4 ), posterior margin with 1 median concavity ( Fig. 4J View FIGURE 4 ). Ovipositor about as long as hind femora, gradually upcurved behind the middle area ( Fig. 4H View FIGURE 4 ).

Coloration. Male body blackish brown, dorsal surface of head almost black. Apices of femora darker.

Measurements (mm). BL: ♂ 17.4–17.8, ♀ 15.7–18.6; PL: ♂ 5.0–5.2, ♀ 5.1–5.7; FFL: ♂ 6.0–6.1, ♀ 5.7–7.7; MFL: ♂ 6.0–6.2, ♀ 6.0–6.2; HFL: ♂ 14.6–15.7, ♀ 14.7–16.0; HTL: ♂ 12.8–13.5, ♀ 12.8–13.5; HBL: ♂ 2.8–3.0, ♀ 2.4–3.0; OvL: 6.5–9.2.

Material examined. Holotype: male, Dulongjiang, Gongshan , Yunnan, August 20, 2024, coll. by Yangting Qin and Ting Luo . Paratypes: 2 females, Dulongjiang, Gongshan, Yunnan, August 21, 2024, coll. by Yangting Qin and Ting Luo ; 1 male, Dulongjiang, Gongshan , Yunnan, August 23, 2024, coll. by Yangting Qin and Ting Luo ; 1 male, Dulongjiang, Gongshan , Yunnan, August 25, 2024, coll. by Yangting Qin and Ting Luo . Other specimens: 1 male, Dulongjiang, Gongshan , Yunnan, August 11, 2024, coll. by Mingyu Liu ; 1 male, Dulongjiang, Gongshan , Yunnan, August 19, 2024, coll. by Yangting Qin and Ting Luo ; 6 males, Dulongjiang, Gongshan , Yunnan, August 20, 2024, coll. by Yangting Qin and Ting Luo ; 5 males, Dulongjiang, Gongshan , Yunnan, August 21, 2024, coll. by Yangting Qin and Ting Luo ; 1 male and 3 females, Dulongjiang, Gongshan , Yunnan, August 22, 2024, coll. by Yangting Qin and Ting Luo ; 3 males and 1 female, Dulongjiang, Gongshan , Yunnan, August 23, 2024, coll. by Yangting Qin and Ting Luo ; 3 males and 2 females, Dulongjiang, Gongshan , Yunnan, August 24, 2024, coll. by Yangting Qin and Ting Luo ; 1 male and 1 female, Dulongjiang, Gongshan , Yunnan, August 25, 2024, coll. by Yangting Qin and Ting Luo .

Distribution. Yunnan (Gongshan).

Discussion. The new species differs from Rhaphidophora imbricofurca Shen, Wang & He, 2024 by the internal margin of male epiproct bearing a minuscule spine on the upper plate ( Fig. 3G View FIGURE 3 ), and male subgenital plate with 1 pair of longer and subconical styli ( Fig. 3K View FIGURE 3 ).

Etymology. The new name refers to the male epiproct with a pair of minuscule spines on internal margin of the upper plate.