''Desmodus'' is a genus of
bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...
s which—along with the genera ''
Diaemus
The white-winged vampire bat (''Diaemus youngi''), a species of vampire bat, is the only member of the genus ''Diaemus''. They are found from Mexico to northern Argentina and are present on the islands of Trinidad and Margarita.
Etymology and ...
'' and ''
Diphylla
The hairy-legged vampire bat (''Diphylla ecaudata'') is one of three extant species of vampire bats. It mainly feeds on the blood of wild birds, but can also feed both on domestic birds and humans. This vampire bat lives mainly in tropical and su ...
''—are allied as the subfamily
Desmodontinae, the carnivorous, blood-consuming vampire bats of the New World leaf-nosed bat family
Phyllostomidae.
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.
[Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (editors). 2005. Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed), Johns Hopkins University Press, 2,142 pp.] The
type species
In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specime ...
was previously described with the name ''Phyllostoma rotundus'' by
Étienne Geoffroy in 1810.
* subfamilia
Desmodontinae
:* genus ''Desmodus''
::*''Desmodus archaeodaptes'', extinct,
::* ''
Desmodus draculae
''Desmodus draculae'' is an extinct species of vampire bat that inhabited Central and South America during the Pleistocene, and possibly the early Holocene. It was 30% larger than its living relative the common vampire bat (''Desmodus rotundus ...
'' – giant vampire bat, extinct,
[Turvey, S.T. (2009). Holocene mammal extinctions. In: Turvey, S.T. (editor) (2009). Holocene extinctions. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.][Turvey, S. 2008. Desmodus draculae. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.1. . Downloaded on 13 August 2011.]
::* ''
Desmodus rotundus'' – common vampire bat, extant,
[Barquez, R., Perez, S., Miller, B. & Diaz, M. 2008. Desmodus rotundus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.1. . Downloaded on 13 August 2011.]
:::* ''Desmodus rotundus puntajudensis'' (''
Desmodus puntajudensis'') - Cuban vampire bat, extinct,
[Suárez, W. 2005. Taxonomic status of the Cuban vampire bat (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae: Desmodontinae: Desmodus). Caribbean Journal of Science 41(4):761-767.]
::* ''
Desmodus stocki'' – Stock's vampire bat, extinct.
[Knox Jones JR, J. (1958). Pleistocene Bats from San Josecito Cave, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History, Volume 9, No. 14, pp. 389-396, December 19, 1958]
Available online
References
Bat genera
Taxa named by Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied
Mammal genera with one living species
Vampire bats
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