''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 bi ...
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 ta ...
'' 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
Prince Alexander Philipp Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (23 September 1782 – 3 February 1867) was a German explorer, ethnologist and naturalist. He led a pioneering expedition to southeast Brazil between 1815–1817, from which the album ''Reise na ...
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 specimen ...
was previously described with the name ''Phyllostoma rotundus'' by
Étienne Geoffroy
Étienne, a French analog of Stephen or Steven, is a masculine given name. An archaic variant of the name, prevalent up to the mid-17th century, is Estienne.
Étienne, Etienne, Ettiene or Ettienne may refer to:
People
Scientists and inventors
...
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
The common vampire bat (''Desmodus rotundus'') is a small, leaf-nosed bat native to Latin America. It is one of three extant species of vampire bat, the other two being the hairy-legged and the white-winged vampire bats. The common vampire bat ...
'' – 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
{{leafnosed-bat-stub