This is a colonial species that roosts in small (50 individuals) to very large (several thousand individuals) colonies in caves, old disused tunnels, old temples, old forts, dark deep channels under dam sites and cellars under old buildings. It has been recorded sharing its roosting sites with Megaderma lyra, Eonycteris spelaea and other species of bats (Bates and Harrison 1997, C. Srinivasulu per. obs. 2017). The species has been found in association with other bats including Hipposideros fulvus, H. galeritus, H. speoris, Miniopterus schrebersii, Rhinolophus rouxi and Rousettus leschenaulti in Sri Lanka (W. Yapa and P.C.M.B. Digana pers. comm.). In Meghalaya it is found in mixed colonies of Hipposideros armiger, Ia io, Miniopterus schrebersii, Myotis blythii, Rhinolophus pearsonii and Rousettus leschenaulti (A. Tabah pers. comm.). It occurs in southern dry zone, lower foothills and wet zone hills of Sri Lanka (Phillips 1980). It is an early and high flyer, and feeds on large beetles (coleopterans) and other large and hard bodied insects. This species breeds once a year and gives birth to a single young after a gestation period of 260 days (Bates and Harrison 1997).

This species is endemic to South Asia and marginally occurs in Southeast Asia. In South Asia, it is known from Bangladesh (Khulna division) (Khan 2001), India (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Orissa, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tripura, and West Bengal) and Sri Lanka (Central, Eastern, North Central, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva and Western provinces) (Molur et al. 2002, Srinivasulu and Srinivasulu 2012). It has also been recorded from Myanmar (Bates et al. 2015).

There are no direct conservation measures in place. The species has been recorded from protected areas in India Populations should be monitored to record changes in abundance and distribution.