[4] The taxon Punctelia pallescens, described by Syo Kurokawa in 1999 as a new species from western Australia,[5] was later determined to be identical chemically and morphologically with P. subalbicans,[6] and it is now considered a synonym.

Lobes comprising the thallus are irregularly shaped with rounded tips and are scalloped with dark margins; they are usually 2–5 mm (0.08–0.20 in) wide.

Apothecia are common, especially near the centre of the thallus, and are up to 6 mm (0.24 in) across with a concave to flattened central disc that is brownish-red to dark brown in colour.

In the southern and eastern parts of the country, it commonly occurs on the bark of Callitris and Casuarina in regions where the amount of rainfall in low to moderate.

It is rarely collected in New Zealand, having been recorded only from Wellington and from Riccarton Bush in Christchurch, where it was found growing on Dacrycarpus dacrydioides.