[2] Centipedes in this genus are found in South America, tropical Africa, Madagascar, the Arabian peninsula, Australia, New Zealand, and Melanesia.

[3] Centipedes in this genus feature elongate heads, elongate forcipules, mandibles with long bristles, and sternal pores in one or two paired fields; the coxosternite of the second maxillae has sclerotized ridges and peculiar anterior projections.

[3] The small species Ribautia platensis,[4] found in Argentina, measures only 9 mm in length and can have as few as 31 leg pairs (31 pairs in males, 31 or 33 in females),[5] the minimum number recorded in this genus.

[3] Other small species of Ribautia with notably few legs include the Peruvian species R. williamsi (known from a female specimen measuring 12 mm in length with 37 leg pairs),[6] the African species R. paucipes (reaching 15 mm in length, with 39 leg pairs in type specimens including both sexes),[7][8] and the Brazilian species R. onycophaena (reaching 13 mm in length, with 39 leg pairs in males and 41 in females).

[9] The large species R. taeniata, found in New Caledonia, can reach 75 mm in length and can have as many as 125 leg pairs (105 to 121 pairs in males, 111 to 125 in females),[10] the maximum number recorded in this genus.