Its noseleaf and ears are smaller than those of a related species, and Malaysian records include a drainage-pipe roost. A 2017 checklist listed only three known localities in Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia.
A specialist field guide says it has smaller ears and a smaller noseleaf than H. ridleyi; its smaller internarial disc does not fully cover the nostrils.
Malaysian records report roosting in drainage pipes and occurrence in peat-swamp forest.
The noseleaf lacks supplementary side leaflets, and the enlarged disc between the nostrils is oval.
The tip of the tail projects beyond the membrane stretched between the hind legs.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.