Genus Rhabdoblatta Kirby, 1903

Type species: Epilampra praecipua Walker, 1868 . By monotypy.

Differential diagnosis. The genus Rhabdoblatta can be diagnosed by the following complex of characters.

Sexual dimorphism poorly marked, both sexes with the completely developed tegmina and wings surpassing the abdominal apex. The anterior margin of fore femur is armed like the type B. Hind metatarsus equal to or slightly longer than other segments combined, with the small apical euplantula along its lower margin; the euplantula without spinules; the 2nd–4th segments with euplantulae small; all segments of metatarsus with 2 more or less equal rows of spines along its lower margin. Claws symmetrical; arolium well-developed. Paraprocts of the blaberid– type (Fig. 8 D).

Male genitalia (Fig. 8 F–L). Right phallomere (R+N) generally similar to those of Morphna and the related genera, i.e. Indoapterolampra gen. nov., Comptolampra, Placoblatta, Anisolampra and Opisthoplatia (see Figs. 3 B–F, 4G, H, 5G–I, 6L, 8F and Anisyutkin 1999, 2000, 2003; Anisyutkin & Gorochov 2001): the sclerite R1T robust and heavily sclerotized, with caudal part subrectangular or widely rounded in shape, densely covered with bristles. The sclerite L2D (L1) subdivided into basal and apical parts (Fig. 8 G), the apical part of L2D with flat "dorsal sclerite" (Fig. 8 H, d.scl.) free or more or less fused with the cap-like "apical sclerite" (Fig. 8 H, ap.scl.), densely covered with recumbent bristles. The sclerite L3 (L2d) varies in shape, usually with the more or less expressed "apical crest" (Fig. 8 J–L, ap.cr.), the "folded structure" distinct, the groove hge absent.

Composition. Follows Beccaloni (2007), except for R. praecipua which is considered the valid species (see below).

Notes. In my opinion, none of the characters listed above in the 'Differential diagnosis' can be considered a synapomorphy, if taken separately. The genus Rhabdoblatta is likely to be paraphyletic, with respect to some genera of the Epilamprinae .

The genus Rhabdoblatta is one of the largest in the Epilamprinae, numbering over 100 species (Beccaloni 2007) and it is evident that more species remain to be discovered.

This genus was described as monotypic to include the single species Epilampra praecipua Walker, 1868 from Sri Lanka (Kirby 1903). Later, additional species from Old and New World, mostly from South-East Asia, were added to the genus Rhabdoblatta by different authors (Shelford 1910; Hanitsch 1915; Bey-Bienko 1950; Princis 1967; Anisyutkin 2000, 2003; Beccaloni 2007).

R. praecipua, the type species of the genus Rhabdoblatta, was synonymized with Polyzosteria terranea Walker, 1868 by K. Princis, without any argumentation: " Terranea ist auf das Larvenstadium von praecipua gegründet, welch letzterer Name also als Synonym eingezogen werden muss." (Princis 1958, p. 66). I have reexamined the holotype of ' P. terranea ', which turned out to be a cockroach larva belonging to the subfamily Epilamprinae . At the current state of knowledge, it can only be identified as Epilamprinae gen. sp. It is obvious that more than one Epilamprinae species occur in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, ' P. terranea ' is characterized by the black facial part of the head (Beccaloni 2007) as compared to the pale yellowish head in R. praecipua . Taking the latter difference into account, it is safe to consider R. praecipua a valid species.