The nearest relative is regarded as the only living species of the family, Rhinonicteris aurantia, which occurs in two isolated populations across the north of Australia.

The specific epithet tedfordi honours the work of Richard Tedford at Riversleigh, on behalf on thee American Museum of Natural History, in identifying tertiary mammals in the fossil beds.

The type material was obtained at the Bitesantennary Site in early Miocene deposits composed of fossilised bat skulls and bones and snails.

The holotype and syntypes are incomplete skulls selected from the large amount of fragmentary material stratigraphically dated to the Miocene.

[3] The site was a cave, open to the nearby environment, and contains the remains of probably over ten other microchiropteran species and shells of freshwater snails.