[2][3][4] Previously thought to represent an insular population of the desert pipistrelle (H. ariel), a 2011 study found it to be morphologically distinct from other Hypsugo species, and described it as a distinct species.

[5] It is recognized as a distinct species by the IUCN Red List, American Society of Mammalogists, and ITIS.

[1] It is the largest member of the arabicus-group of Hypsugo (also including H. ariel and the Arabian pipistrelle, H. arabicus).

It is thought to be threatened by climate change, primarily due to more frequent major tropical cyclones (with the 2015 and 2019 cyclone seasons being thought to have been especially damaging), as well as increasing aridification of its habitat.

It is also thought to be threatened by increasing unplanned development in the area, which may have further knock-on effects on the already-stressed ecosystem.