Laurie and Hill considered it to be very large compared to other members of the diadema species group. They wrote that its nose-leaf and ears were similar in appearance to those of the fierce roundleaf bat, H. dinops. Its nose-leaf has four smaller, supplementary nose-leaves that project laterally. The holotype, an individual preserved in alcohol, had a forearm length of.
It is endemic to Sulawesi where it has been documented in three localities: one in Central Sulawesi, and two in Northern Sulawesi.
Conservation
As of 2016, it is evaluated as a data deficient species by the IUCN. It meets the criteria for this classification because it is a poorly known species and any threats that it faces are unknown. It has only been documented once since the 19th century; therefore, its population size and distribution are not known.