This species, which is widespread in tropical regions of the world, is typically found growing on tree bark, and occasionally on wood.

[5] Originally classified in the family Graphidaceae due to its lirellate (elongated and furrowed) fruiting bodies, studies in the late 20th and early 21st centuries suggested that Helminthocarpon may be more closely related to members of the order Arthoniales.

However, Helminthocarpon differs in having a corticate thallus (outer fungal layer) and more well-defined fruiting structures compared to Cryptothecia.

Some researchers have suggested Helminthocarpon may represent an evolutionary link between the less structured fruiting bodies of Cryptothecia and the more defined ones of other Arthoniales genera.

Unlike many related lichens in the Arthoniales, Helminthocarpon has a cortex, a protective outer layer that gives the thallus its distinctive appearance.

They appear as short, broad, swollen lirellae – elongated fruiting bodies resembling small beans or furrows.

These lirellae are beige to white in colour, similar to the thallus, and develop a wide, irregular central slit as they mature.

The asci, or spore-producing cells, develop within a hamathecium – a structure composed of strongly branched and repeatedly joining threads called paraphysoids.