"Vermilacinia rigida" was discovered by Richard Spjut, accompanied by Richard Marin and Thomas McCloud, on 19 May 1986 just south of Punta Negra on rock outcrops on a ridge that appeared to have received more precipitation from ocean fog than other nearby areas (Plate 1D in Spjut’s 1996 revision of "Niebla" and "Vermilacinia").