[1] It was first described by the lichenologists Yogesh Joshi and Dalip Kumar Upreti in 2007 from specimens collected in Madhya Pradesh, central India.

The apothecia have distinctive orange to brownish-orange centres (discs) surrounded by prominent black, glossy margins.

The internal structure shows a golden to golden-brown upper layer containing dense granular deposits.

The species produces parietin, a secondary metabolite that turns purple when potassium hydroxide solution (the K spot test) is applied.

[2] Caloplaca tropica grows on sun-exposed quartzite rocks in the dry tropical regions of central India, typically at elevations between 500–600 metres above sea level.