Pachyballus

Pachyballus is a genus of jumping spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1900.^[2] While most are found in Africa and nearby regions, one species is endemic to New Caledonia. The name is a combination of the Ancient Greek παχύς ("pachys"), meaning "thick", and the salticid genus Ballus.

Pachyballus rotundus was transferred to its own genus Planiemen in 2007 and Pachyballus oyo was transferred to Peplometus in 2020.^[1]

Distribution

Pachyballus are found only in Africa, with the exception of P. gambeyi, which is endemic to New Caledonia.^[1]

As of October 2025, this genus includes nine species:^[1]

Pachyballus caelestis Wesołowska, Azarkina & Wiśniewski, 2020 – DR Congo
Pachyballus castaneus Simon, 1900 – Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique?
Pachyballus flavipes Simon, 1909 – Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, DR Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa
Pachyballus gambeyi (Simon, 1880) – New Caledonia
Pachyballus miniscutulus Wesołowska, Azarkina & Wiśniewski, 2020 – Ivory Coast, South Africa
Pachyballus mombasensis Wesołowska, Azarkina & Wiśniewski, 2020 – Kenya
Pachyballus ornatus Wesołowska, Azarkina & Wiśniewski, 2020 – DR Congo, Tanzania
Pachyballus transversus Simon, 1900 – Ethiopia, Somalia, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Cameroon, DR Congo, DR Congo, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa (type species)
Pachyballus variegatus Lessert, 1925 – Tanzania

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Gen. Pachyballus Simon, 1900". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-17.
^ Simon, E. (1900). "Descriptions d'arachnides nouveaux de la famille des Attidae". Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique. 44: 381–407.