The most recent capture of this species was from the sustainable rainforest logging concession, Cloudy Bay Forestry Management Area, near Oio Village, north-east of Abau, Central Province, Papua New Guinea (Hughes et al. 2014). Prior to this, there is only one other confirmed record of occurrence, when it was first discovered at Kamali on the lower Kemp Welch River, in the Central Province of south-eastern New Guinea in 1890 (Thomas 1897). A possible maternity colony of 45 individuals was collected by Dr. L. Loria, but only six of these specimens can now be accounted for (Flannery 1995, Hughes et al. 2014).

There are a further two records of this species mentioned in Bonaccorso (1998). A specimen was collected at Kapa Kapa by Dr. Loria, as reported by Thomas (1897), but it was initially identified as Nyctophilus timoriensis, and the identity was not confirmed as Pharotis prior to the specimen having been lost in flooding of the collection in the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale in Genoa. In addition, there is a report of a single specimen collected by T. Anderson in 1985 from the crown of a Pandanus tree in Rogut Village along the Tuman River in Central Province. This specimen (PM 25374 at the Papua New Guinea National Museum) is listed as being destroyed in 1992. Prior to this in 1988, careful examination and measurement of this specimen was undertaken by H. Parnaby as part of a revision of the genus Nyctophilus, which confirmed the identity as Nyctophilus microdon (Hughes et al. 2014). Both confirmed records of the species have been from below 100 m asl.

This species has not been recorded from any protected areas. Further targeted field effort in suitable habitat is needed to build an understanding of extent of occurrence, and intensive study in the vicinity of its most recent capture would be useful to provide ecological data, including reference echolocation calls that might help with acoustics-based field surveys further afield. Areas known to contain roosting and foraging habitat should be protected.