[2] M. griffithsi was previously a part of the largest family of bats, the Vespertilionidae, which consist of five subfamilies.

[3] The bat family Miniopteridae is widely distributed, ranging from the majority of sub-Saharan Africa to north Africa and Eurasia, as well as southern and southeastern Asia and Australia.

[3] Typical features of these bats include elongated third fingers, long narrow wings giving them a pointed shape when in flight, and a bent shape when folded, adding to the common name of bent-wing bats.

M. griffithsi is similar to its sister species Miniopterus gleni, which lives north of the Onilahy River, while M. giffithsi lives south of it.

[2] Researchers first discovered that M. griffithsi was separate from M. gleni based on phylogeographic studies of the latter.