It has been assessed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to its small population, limited geographic range, and various threats.

This species is adorned with long, tapering cilia that form irregularly along the edges and at the tips of the lobes, which are either cylindrical or partly flattened and occasionally display channel-like depressions with fissures that open unpredictably along the thallus.

In Peru, reports from Otuzco in La Libertad are questionable; a historical specimen's collection site is potentially misreported, and recent identifications suggest a possible confusion with a different species, casting doubt on its presence in the region.

The only verified existing population in Peru was found in the Lomas de Amara and Ullujaya in Ica Province, occupying a very limited area and discovered after meticulous surveys, including the use of aerial drones.

[1] Teloschistes peruensis has only two extant subpopulations: a small one in Pan de Azúcar, Chile, with 10 to 15 individuals covering less than 100 square metres (1,100 sq ft), and a larger, terrestrial subpopulation in the lomas of Amara and Ullujaya in Ica, Peru, comprising up to 100 individuals spread over an area under 1 square kilometre (0.4 sq mi), with an additional unconfirmed report from La Libertad, Peru.