[1] Found in Costa Rica, where it grows primarily on tree trunks and the understory of primary forests, it was described as new to science in 2011.

[2] Clypeopyrenis porinoides was first described by Harald Komposch, Jesús Ernesto Hernández Maldonado, and Dania Rosabal in 2011.

The type specimen was collected from Sán Vito de Coto Brus, Las Cruces Biological Station, Puntarenas, Costa Rica at an elevation of 1,200 m (3,900 ft).

They can be found either solitary or in groups of 2 or 3, completely covered by a thalline layer up to the ostiole, giving them a light greyish-green to yellowish-green appearance.

[2] Clypeopyrenis porinoides is known to be found abundantly in the understory of primary rainforests at mid-elevation, specifically at its type locality, the Las Cruces Biological Station in Costa Rica.