[1] It is found in both the Eastern and Western Himalayas, where it grows on soil in open mountain forests with pastures and cliffs.

The type specimen was collected from a south-facing slope in the Shaluli Mountains (Sichuan) at an altitude of 4,000–4,150 m (13,120–13,620 ft).

It differs from this species in its brown coloured thallus, its abundant small apothecia, and its smaller, roughly spherical spores.

It produces abundant apothecia, which are up to 1 mm in diameter, with a convex shape and lacking a thalline margin.

[2] Fuscopannaria saltuensis thrives in the environment of open mountain forests that typically have pastures and cliffs.