[3] Radula visianica was first described by the Italian botanist Caro Massalongo in 1904,[4] based on specimens he had collected in February 1878.

The species name honours Roberto de Visiani, a 19th-century botanist who owned a villa near the original collection site in the Euganean Hills of northeastern Italy.

[3] While initially thought to be a tree-dwelling species, R. visianica primarily grows on north-facing dolomite rocks (a type of limestone rich in magnesium) in mountainous areas.

Scientists believe the species may also exist in other mountainous regions of Europe with similar geological conditions, such as the Apennines, Dinarides, Carpathians, and Pyrenees, though it has not yet been found in these areas.

Its apparent preference for dolomite rock in mountain environments may represent an adaptation that has helped it survive during periods of climate change.