Echinoplaca pernambucensis was first described by lichenologists Dag Øvstedal and John Elix in 2010, following the discovery of the type specimen in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.

The authors acknowledge, however, that without DNA analysis for confirmation, that their generic placement is tentative, and that the genera Gyalideopsis and Calenia were also reasonable possibilities.

[2] The Echinoplaca pernambucensis lichen is crustose, featuring a whitish-green basal crust that is 2–3 cm wide and 100–115 μm thick.

[2] The upper surface of the lichen is covered with numerous conical areolae, which are pinkish-white, up to 0.2 mm high and wide, and lack algae.

Other genera in the family Gomphillaceae, such as Gyalideopsis and Calenia, also share some similarities with Echinoplaca pernambucensis, but differences in their respective features set them apart from this species.