[1] The big-eared horseshoe bat was described as a new species in 1844 by English zoologist Edward Blyth.

The holotype had been collected by Brian Houghton Hodgson in Nepal.

[5][6] Most recently, R. m. siamensis has been considered a full species rather than a subspecies, known as the Thai horseshoe bat.

[5] The big-eared horseshoe bat is found in several countries in South and Southeast Asia including Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

It has been documented at a range of elevations from 200–1,692 m (656–5,551 ft) above sea level.