 Dippenaar-Schoeman & Jocqué gave the distribution range as Zad're to Ethiopia.The name is a combination of the salticid genus "Pellenes", due to its resemblance it and several other genera in the subfamily Pelleninae, and the arachnologist Lessert.It was first discovered in Avakubi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and given the name "Avakubia".