Ridley's leaf-nosed bat was described as a new species in 1911 by Herbert Christopher Robinson and C. Boden Kloss.

The holotype had been collected by English botanist Henry Nicholas Ridley in the Singapore Botanic Gardens in 1911.

[2] Ridley's leaf-nosed bat has a forearm length of 47–51 mm (1.9–2.0 in).

The nose-leaf lacks lateral leaflets (smaller projections to the side).

[3] It is found in Southeast Asia where it has been documented in Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore.