It is found in the southeastern United States and the Caribbean, where it grows as a bright yellow, powdery crust on the bark and wood of mostly hardwoods.

Chrysothrix bergeri was formally described as a new species in 2020 by Scott LaGreca.The type specimen was originally collected in 1922 from Confianza Estate in Cuba.

[1] The distribution of the lichen extends from the southeastern United States, southwards to the Bahamas and Cuba, and eastwards to Bermuda.

Although found mostly on hardwoods (usually oak), other recorded substrates include Casuarina equisetifolia, Prunus caroliniana, Suriana maritima, Juniperus, Pinus, and Taxodium.

The specific epithet bergeri honours Franz Berger, an Austrian medical doctor and botanical collector, "and the first person to recognize this new taxon in Bermuda".