Mexcala formosa is a jumping spider that was first described by the Polish arachnologists Wanda Wesołowska and Beata Tomasiewicz in 2008.

[1] They allocated the species to the genus Mexcala, first raised by George and Elizabeth Peckham in 1902.

[2] The genus was a member of the tribe Heliophaninae alongside Pseudicius and Cosmophasis, which was absorbed into Chrysillini by Wayne Maddison in 2015.

The genera share characteristics, including having a rather uniform, mainly dark appearance.

The palpal bulb is triangular in form with a large lobe to the back.

[14][15] Like other jumping spiders, it is mainly a diurnal hunter that uses its good eyesight to spot its prey.

[17] It uses visual displays during courtship and transmits vibratory signals through silk to communicate to other spiders.

[1] The species was first discovered in the Awash National Park, the holotype being collected in 1988.