First defined in 1980 by Fred Wanless, the spider is named after the British arachnologist Frances M. Murphy.

Asemonea murphyae thrives in a wide range of environments, particularly by the side of rivers, streams and tracks.

[1] Wanless originally He allocated the species to the genus Asemonea, first raised by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1869.

[5] The spider is named after Frances M. Murphy, a leading member of the British Arachnological Society.

[6][7] The species was originally named Asemonea murphyi but was renamed by Wanda Wesołowska and Charles Haddad in 2001.

The eyes are mounted on tubercles and in the majority cases surrounded by black markings and a fringe of white hair.

The spider has long thin legs that are generally a pale yellow, ranging from whitish-yellow to yellow-brown.

The eyes are surrounded by black rings and creamy-white hairs, while the clypeus and labium are similar to the male.

[11] It can be distinguished from Asemonea fimbriata by the lack of hairs on the legs, but can be most easily differentiated from other species by its copulatory organs.

The spider lives in liminal spaces, including shaded bushes at the side of a river and low shrubs at the edge of a track.

[11] Other examples have been found near rivers and streams on the side of Mount Elgon at altitudes between 2,130 and 2,250 m (6,990 and 7,380 ft) above sea level.

[21] The first example to be found in South Africa was discovered near Cathedral Peak in KwaZulu-Natal at an altitude of 1,200 m (3,900 ft) above sea level.