It was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1902,[2] and is found only in Papua New Guinea and on the Moluccas.

[1] A subspecies, Spilargis ignicolor bimaculata, is found on the Moluccas.

The name is a combination of the Ancient Greek roots spil- "spot" and arg- "shining".

The species name is Latin for "the color of fire".

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