This bat occurs in the Sundaic region, the Philippines, New Guinea, and the Bismarck Islands. On West New Britain it was captured during one evening of sampling in secondary regrowth on a coconut plantation beside a coastal stream. Nepal specimens formerly assigned to it were a different species, now named Mirostrellus joffrei.
A 2017 skull comparison describes Philetor as having an extremely shortened rostrum and very deep pits at the base of the skull. The paper contrasts these features with those of the Nepal specimens it reidentified as Hypsugo joffrei, now Mirostrellus joffrei.
A Peninsular Malaysia checklist reports this bat in both primary and secondary forests and lists tree hollows as roosts. On West New Britain it was captured during one evening of sampling in secondary regrowth on a coconut plantation beside a coastal stream; this was a capture site, not a reported roost.
Hill (1966) described specimens under the name Philetor rohui. The head was short and broad, with a wide, flat muzzle; the muzzle was sparsely haired, with a fringe above the upper lip. The short triangular ears had rounded tips and a few hairs on the front of both faces. The back, head, and nape were uniformly dark brown; the underside was similar but slightly paler, and the fur short and close. The wings were narrow, with a much-reduced fifth digit. The flight membranes were largely hairless, with fine hairs on the underside from the body to a line joining the elbow and knee, and a few at the tail root. All available specimens were preserved in alcohol.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.