In South Asia, this usually low flying species is generally a high altitude species found in montane and bamboo forests (Mistry 1995). It has been recorded roosting either singly or in colonies of several individuals and shares its roosts with other species of bats in subterranean caves, lofts of houses, verandahs of old houses, old temples. It breeds once a year and gives birth to two young (Bates and Harrison 1997). In China, it is considered to be a species found in a variety of habitats. They are known to inhabit caves and a variety of man-made structures. Colonies can number in the hundreds of individuals, and they co-occur with species of Rhinolophus and other bats. In Southeast Asia, the species has been primarily recorded near caves but occurs in quite distant areas from the roosts when foraging.

This widespread species has been recorded from India and Nepal, eastwards into central and southeastern China, and from much of peninsular Southeast Asia. In South Asia, it has been reported from India (Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Uttaranchal and West Bengal) and Nepal (Central, Eastern and Western Nepal) in South Asia (Molur et al. 2002). In China, it is distributed south of the Yangtze river, and has been recorded in Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao, Guangxi, Hainan, Hunan, Jiangsu, Anhui, Yunnan, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Guizhou, Fujian and the island of Taiwan. In Southeast Asia, it ranges from Myanmar in the west, through to Thailand and the Malay Peninsula. In South Asia, it has been recorded at elevations of 1,000 to 2,031 m asl (Molur et al. 2002). This species is also found in limestone caves in Mon State, Southern part of Myanmar and the elevation is around 20 m asl. (Myo and Soisook in prep.).

In South Asia, there are no direct conservation measures in place. The species has been recorded from protected areas in India like Mahanandi Wildlife Sanctuary in West Bengal. In Southeast Asia, it occurs in protected areas throughout its range. In parts of its range further studies are needed into the distribution, abundance, breeding biology and general ecology of this species. Populations of this species should be monitored to record changes in abundance and distribution (Molur et al. 2002).