The Loja Tapaculo occurs in the Andes of southern Ecuador and northern Peru, in scrub near the tree line. A 2010 paper described this population under the subspecies name Scytalopus opacus androstictus.
It has blackish-grey upperparts and underparts, with a faint brown wash on the wings and tail. A white area on the greater primary coverts occurred in seven of nine adult males examined; it was not present in every male.
The population’s call was described as song-like and different from that of northern S. opacus. The paper also reports genetic differentiation. Small insect remains occurred in one specimen’s stomach, a single-individual record.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.