Heliocapensis is a mainly South African genus of the spider family Salticidae (jumping spiders).
Distribution Most species in this genus are endemic to South Africa, with a few found in .
Life style These are free-living spiders found on the ground or plant-dwellers collected from various habitat types.
Description These are small salticids, measuring between 3.0 and 4.5 mm in length.
Males are characterized by black coloration with distinctive white markings. A thin line traverses the anterior region of the abdomen, accompanied by two or three pairs of rounded or obliquely-oriented white markings. These markings consist of white setae or microscopic scales and tend to fade as the specimen ages.
Taxonomy The genus Heliocapensis was elevated from a subgenus of Heliophanus C. L. Koch, 1833 by Wesołowska in 2024.
Species
, this genus includes fourteen species:
Heliocapensis aberdarensis (Wesołowska, 1986) – Kenya, South Africa Heliocapensis bellus (Wesołowska, 1986) – South Africa Heliocapensis capensis (Wesołowska, 1986) – South Africa Heliocapensis charlesi (Wesołowska, 2003) – South Africa Heliocapensis chikangawanus (Wesołowska, 1986) – Angola, Malawi Heliocapensis claviger (Simon, 1901) – Mozambique, South Africa Heliocapensis deserticola (Simon, 1901) – South Africa Heliocapensis lola Wesołowska & Henrard, 2025 – Guinea Heliocapensis maluti (Wesołowska & Haddad, 2014) – South Africa, Lesotho Heliocapensis mirabilis (Wesołowska, 1986) – South Africa Heliocapensis peckhami (Simon, 1902) – South Africa (type species) Heliocapensis portentosus (Wesołowska, 1986) – South Africa Heliocapensis redimitus (Simon, 1910) – South Africa Heliocapensis termitophagus (Wesołowska & Haddad, 2002) – South Africa
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