Guillaume Grandidier first described the species in 1912, as Triaenops aurita, on the basis of a single poorly preserved specimen collected at Diégo-Suarez (now Antsiranana) in northernmost Madagascar.

[2] In his 1939 list of African mammals, Glover Morrill Allen placed the species as a synonym of Triaenops furcula (now Paratriaenops furcula) of western Madagascar,[3] and in his 1948 review of the genus Triaenops, Jean Dorst concurred, as did John Edwards Hill, who reviewed the genus in 1982.

[8] In view of the significant differences between the T. furculus group and other species of Triaenops, Petr Benda and Peter Villa removed the former in 2009 to a separate genus, Paratriaenops.

Agricultural activities in particular are causing habitat destruction and fragmentation, and disturbance of its cave roosts may pose another threat.

The IUCN recommends that conservation efforts be focused on monitoring and protecting the known cave roosts.