In Southeast Asia, it has been recorded from various forest types, including lowland primary and secondary tropical moist forest, mountane and hill forest (Kingston et al. 2003; Leong and Lim 2009; Strubig et al. 2008, 2013; Joann et al. 2011; Lim et al. 2014), as well as mixed coffee farms adjacent to large forests (Huang et al. 2014). Animals roost singly under leaves or palm leaves in the forest understory (Kingston et al. 2006). In South Asia, little is known about the habitat or ecology of this species except that it is found in dense evergreen forests (Molur et al. 2002). Two pregnancies peaks were observed in a Malaysia’s population in a lowland dipterocarp forest in January-March and September-October (Sharifah and Nurul-Ain 2018).

This species is widely distributed in the Sunda region in Southeast Asia, with additional records from South Asia and China. In Southeast Asia, it has been recorded from southern Myanmar and Thailand (Soisook et al. 2010), into Peninsular Malaysia, and from here into Indonesia (including the Mentawi Islands [Nias], Sumatra, Bangka, Billiton, Java and Banta), ranging to the island of Borneo (Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia). In South Asia, it is presently known from Assam and West Bengal in India, recorded up to an elevation of 1,800 m asl (Molur et al. 2002). In China, it is known only from a single specimen recorded from Guizhou (Jinsha) (Smith and Xie 2013). Recent studies also confirm the presence of the species in Singapore (Pottie et al. 2005, Lim et al. 2016) and extend its distribution in Sumatra to the the very southern tip of the island (Huang et al. 2014).

It has been recorded from a number of protected areas in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. In Malaysia, it is listed as protected in the Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak but Sabah (Faisal A.A.K., pers. comm.). In Singapore, it is protected under the Wild Animals and Birds Act (Lee, B.P.Y.-H. pers. comm.) and found in the Central Catchement Nature Reserve and also on an offshore island, Pulau Tekong (Leong and Lim 2009). In Thailand, it is protected under the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act. In China, it is listed as Endangered (EN) (Smith and Xie 2013), mostly likely due to the rarity in the country. It is not protected in Indonesia and Myanmar. In South Asia, there are no direct conservation measures in place for this species (Molur et al. 2002). Survey, ecological and population monitoring are recommended for the species.