[1] It contains the species Paratopeliopsis caraibica, a corticolous (bark-dwelling), leprose lichen found in Puerto Rico's forests, where it cohabits with mosses on tree trunks.

This lichen sets itself apart from other species in the tribe Thelotremateae, particularly those within the genus Topeliopsis, primarily due to its flour-like (farinose) thallus and its comparatively small, brown spores.

The type specimen was found in Naguabo, Puerto Rico, specifically in the Barrio Río Blanco, on the trunk of a Cyrilla racemiflora tree.

[2] Paratopeliopsis caraibica was initially identified as Thelotrema byssoideum, a species native to Borneo and commonly found in tropical Southeast Asia and Australia.

However, Thelotrema byssoideum differs in its felty thallus, larger, ornamented ascospores, and the presence of psoromic acid as a secondary compound.