This bat has been recorded only on São Tomé. A 1992 paper treated the island population as Miniopterus minor newtoni; later genetic work supported its recognition as a separate species.
The São Tomé neotype had dark blackish-brown to deep reddish-brown fur and a hairless membrane between the hind legs and tail.
A later species chapter records it in modified places such as urban areas where it forages around streetlamps, as well as in primary lowland forest. It appears to roost in caves, mines, and tunnels.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.