Cembalea

Cembalea is a genus of African jumping spiders that was first described by Wanda Wesołowska in 1993.^[2]

Cembalea
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Salticidae
Subfamily:	Salticinae
Genus:	Cembalea Wesolowska, 1993[1]
Type species
C. pulmosa (Lessert, 1925)
Species
5, see text

Life style

Apparently Cembalea is an exclusively ground-dwelling genus.^[3]

Description

These are small spiders with a large eye field. The members of the genus have a high carapace. The first legs of males have long, bushy setae on ventral surface of the femora, with similar setae and scale-like hairs on the ventral surface of the metatarsi.^[3]

This genus is characterized by the structure of the pedipalp and epigyne. A characteristic feature of males is the long embolus that easily breaks off in preserved specimens and is sometimes missing as a result.^[3]

Species

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

• Cembalea affinis Rollard & Wesołowska, 2002 – Guinea
• Cembalea heteropogon (Simon, 1910) – Namibia, South Africa
• Cembalea hirsuta Wesołowska, 2011 – Namibia
• Cembalea plumosa (Lessert, 1925) – Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa (type species)
• Cembalea triloris Haddad & Wesołowska, 2011 – Namibia, South Africa