The described female has a reddish-brown carapace.
The back of the abdomen is brownish grey with several central chevrons.
The described female Selenops malinalxochitl has a carapace 5.75 millimetres wide and 4.73 millimetres long, giving it a broad outline. Its first leg measures 14.75 millimetres and is shorter than the second and third legs. The abdomen is also broader than long, measuring 5.50 by 4.60 millimetres.
The name-bearing female was collected under a rock in Zapotitlan de las Salinas, Puebla, on 29 May 2005. The 2011 study also reassessed an older female from Cuernavaca, Morelos, previously identified as Selenops gracilis in 1953, assigning that record to malinalxochitl. Branching internal genital ducts and the shape of an overlying fold were among the diagnostic features. A recent rock-collected specimen and an older museum specimen thus contributed to defining the species.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
In Zapotitlan Salinas, the municipality of the name-bearing specimen, a local community manages the Helia Bravo Hollis Botanical Garden. A November 2024 CONANP report describes its role in research and environmental education. The community allocated 100 hectares for the garden and has promoted local environmental awareness. These are regional conservation activities in an area where the spider has been collected.