Candelariella vitellina is a common and widespread green-yellow to orange-yellow crustose areolate lichen that grows on rock, wood, and bark, all over the world.

[3] Candelariella vitellina often has tiny lobate areoles in the shape of lion claws.

[1] Its sexual reproductive structures (apothecia) are a 0.35–1.0 mm-wide disc, darker yellow than the thallus, rimmed with thallus-like tissue (lecanorine), flat but becoming convex with age.

[1] It can be distinguished by C. vitanela having a visible exciple (the rim around the apothecia disc), which C. rosulans does not have.

[1] In California, it prefers growing on granite, but can also be found on wood (rarely on bark) and other kinds of rock.