Until the beginning of the twenty first century, O. pseudoapulica was considered simply a variety of O. heldreichii but in 1994 it was formally described by Delforge as O. calypsus var. pseudoapulica. Its taxonomic status was subsequently further revised by Kreutz and promoted to a full species. Its name refers to the lip shape of the plant which reflexes and flares in a manner reminiscent of O. apulica from southern Italy.

It is found in parts of the Cyclades and on the Dodecanese islands of Rhodes, Samos and Kos, though it's widely acknowledged that its range may be wider. As mentioned above, the key distinguishing feature of this species is the lip, in which the margins are strongly recurved and then flare to form a petticoat like frill around the distal part of the flower. The speculum is extensive, encompassing most of the labellum but rarely particularly complicated, consisting of bold cream or yellowish lining and commonly with multiple oselli.

O. peudoapulica can be easily confused with O. calypsus and on Kos where the two species co-exist, there are examples of plants with intermediate features. Picture 3 from Rhodes depicts an example of this where the margins are reflexed but not flared, It also exhibits the "pot bellied" waistline typical of O. calypsus though according to some, this species is not now thought to occur on that island. There are undoubtedly still some issues in need of resolution.

The photos come from the Dodecanese islands of Rhodes and Samos, dating from the second week of April.