Corbet and Hill (1992) recognized two groups on the mainland separated by degree of tail pilosity and some cranial and dental dimensions, but the significance of these differences needs to be assessed by study of larger series; H. delacouri is still represented only by a few specimens. The species has been infrequently encountered by collectors, is probably restricted to a special habitat (bamboo, for example), has a patchy distribution, and will likely be found to occur over a broader range than is now indicated by extant specimens.

Isolated molars have been uncovered from Holocene cave sediments in the Sichuan-Guizhou region of S China (Zheng, 1993, as H. cf. delacouri) and middle or late Pleistocene cave deposits in Guangxi Province of S China (Chen et al., 2002) and NE Thailand (Chaimanee, 1998, as H. delacouri); it would not be surprising to find the species still living in N Thailand and other parts of S China.