The holotype was collected in 2003 just outside the Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve in Madagascar.

Its species name "tandrefana" is Malagasy for "from the west".

[3] It uses echolocation to navigate and find prey: it utilizes steep frequency-modulated echolocation (FM) as well as that of a quasi-constant frequency (QCF).

Its echolocation reaches maximum energy around 48.2 kHz.

[4] As of 2019, it is listed as a data deficient species by the IUCN.