Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 1, 2026

Desmodus

Desmodus is a genus of bats which—along with the genera Diaemus and Diphylla—are allied as the subfamily Desmodontinae, the carnivorous, blood-consuming vampire bats of the New World leaf-nosed bat family Phyllostomidae.

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Jun 1, 2026
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Desmodus
Common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Placentalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Phyllostomidae
Subfamily: Desmodontinae
Genus: Desmodus
Wied-Neuwied, 1826
Type species
Desmodus rufus
Wied-Neuwied, 1826
Species

Desmodus archaeodaptes†
Desmodus draculae†
Desmodus rotundus
Desmodus stocki†

Desmodus is a genus of bats which—along with the genera Diaemus and Diphylla—are allied as the subfamily Desmodontinae, the carnivorous, blood-consuming vampire bats of the New World leaf-nosed bat family Phyllostomidae.1

The genus was erected in 1826 to accommodate a new species Desmodus rufus described by Maximilian Wied in the second volume of his work detailing his explorations in Brazil.21 The type species was previously described with the name Phyllostoma rotundus by Étienne Geoffroy in 1810.1

  • genus Desmodus
References

References

  1. Wilson, Don E.; Reeder, DeeAnn M. (2005). Mammal Species of the World. Baltimore: JHU Press. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4. OCLC 57557352.
  2. Wied, M. (1826). Beiträge zur Naturgeschichte von Brasilien /. Vol. 2. Weimar: Im Verlage des Landes-Industrie-Comptoirs. pp. 231–238.
  3. Morgan, G. S.; Linares, O. J.; Ray, C. E. (1988). "New species of fossil vampire bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera: Desmodontidae) from Florida and Venezuela". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 101 (4): 912–928.
  4. Turvey, S.T. (2009). "Holocene mammal extinctions". Holocene Extinctions. OUP Oxford. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-19-157998-1.
  5. Holmes, Branden (2011-01-18). "Desmodus draculae (Giant vampire bat)". The Recently Extinct Plants and Animals Database.
  6. Barquez, R.; Perez, S.; Miller, B.; Diaz, M. (2015). "Desmodus rotundus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015 e.T6510A21979045. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T6510A21979045.en. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  7. Suárez, William (2005-12-01). "Taxonomic Status of the Cuban Vampire Bat (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae: Desmodontinae: Desmodus)" (PDF). Caribbean Journal of Science. 41 (4). University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. ISSN 0008-6452.
  8. Orihuela, Johanset (2011). "Skull variation of the vampire bat Desmodus rotundus (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae): Taxonomic implications for the Cuban fossil vampire bat Desmodus puntajudensis". Chiroptera Neotropical. 17 (1): 863–876. ISSN 2317-6105. Archived from the original on 2018-06-18. Retrieved 2019-05-27.
  9. Knox Jones Jr., J. (1958). "Pleistocene Bats from San Josecito Cave, Nuevo Leon, Mexico". University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History. 9 (14): 389–396.