[1] Found in northwestern North America, it was formally described as a new species in 2018 by the lichenologists Antoine Simon and Trevor Goward, from specimens collected in Alaska.

Secondary lobes can be involute (rolled inward), with margins sometimes featuring lacerate (torn) outgrowths of isidia (small, finger-like reproductive propagules).

[2] Sticta torii grows on the outermost branches of Alnus rubra (red alder), Malus fusca (Pacific crabapple), and Picea sitchensis (Sitka spruce) in coastal areas exposed to storms and the open ocean.

[2] Two paratype specimens from British Columbia were collected from the same locality in different years on dwarfed Picea sitchensis branches at a sheltered, north-facing site just above the high-tide line on a small rocky islet.

These islets, which provide roosting sites for migratory passerine birds such as warblers, kinglets, and sparrows, may contribute to the presence of Sticta torii in these areas despite extensive searches elsewhere.