The species is distributed across a range in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and islands nearing the Cape York Peninsula at the northeast of Australia, at elevations less than 500 metres and often in coastal mangroves.

[4] Distinguished in the region as a smaller species of the Pteropus genus, their forearm length ranges from 143 to 157 millimetres.

[5] The pelage is uniformly dark brown, but for yellowish coloration at the mantle and highlights of the ventral fur.

The ears of P. macrotis are distinctly elongated to a fine point, the length from notch to tip is 30 to 37 mm.

A range in length of the head and body combined is recorded as 180 to 240 mm, their mass is from 315 to 425 grams.