[2] The lichen was first formally described as a new species in 2012 by the lichenologists Jan Vondrák, Alexander Khodosovtsev, Ulf Arup, and Ulrik Søchting; it was initially classified as a member of the genus Caloplaca.

The type specimen was collected by the first author from Mount Svyataya (Kara Dag Mountain, Sudak, Ukraine) at an elevation of 320 m (1,050 ft), where it was found growing on volcanic rock.

[5] Kuettlingeria neotaurica is characterised by a thallus (the main lichen body) that typically appears dark grey to brown-black, although it can occasionally have a white, powdery coating (pruina).

The thallus is relatively thin, generally not exceeding 150 μm in thickness, and lacks both marginal squamules (small, scale-like structures) and vegetative propagules (reproductive parts that help in dispersal).

[3] The apothecia (reproductive structures where spores are produced) of Kuettlingeria neotaurica are small, with a maximum diameter of about 0.7 mm, and are biatorine in form, meaning they have a flat disc and a clearly distinguishable margin.