The New World leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae) are found from southern North America to South America, specifically from the Southwest United States to northern Argentina. They are ecologically the most varied and diverse family within the order Chiroptera. Most species are insectivorous, but the phyllostomid bats include within their number true predatory species and frugivores. For example, the spectral bat, the largest bat in the Americas, eats vertebrate prey, including small, dove-sized birds. Members of this family have evolved to use food groups such as fruit, nectar, pollen, insects, frogs, other bats, and small vertebrates, and in the case of the vampire bats, even blood.
The Jamaican, common or Mexican fruit bat is a fruit-eating bat native to Mexico, through Central America to northwestern South America, as well as the Greater and many of the Lesser Antilles. It is also an uncommon resident of the Southern Bahamas. Populations east of the Andes in South America are now usually regarded a separate species, the flat-faced fruit-eating bat. The distinctive features of the Jamaican fruit bat include the absence of an external tail and a minimal, U-shaped interfemoral membrane.
Andersen's fruit-eating bat is a bat species found in South America.
The silver fruit-eating bat is a South American bat species of the family Phyllostomidae.
The pygmy fruit-eating bat is a bat of the family Phyllostomidae. The specific name phaeotis is of Greek derivation, coming from the word phaios meaning dusky, referring to their dusky gray coloration.
Dermanura is a genus of leaf-nosed bats.
The large fruit-eating bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found in the countries of Colombia, Guyana, and Venezuela. The large fruit-eating bat is one of only a few microbats that eats leaves.
The Aztec fruit-eating bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae.
The fraternal fruit-eating bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae that is found in drier habitats in Ecuador and Peru. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the Jamaican fruit bat, but was raised to species level in 1978. The smallest species in the group of large Artibeus, it has a forearm length of 52–59 mm (2.0–2.3 in), a total length of 64–76 mm (2.5–3.0 in), and a weight of 30–55 g (1.1–1.9 oz).
The Honduran fruit-eating bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found in El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
The flat-faced fruit-eating bat is a South American species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the Jamaican fruit bat, but can be distinguished by its larger size, the presence of faint stripes on the face, and of a third molar tooth on each side of the upper jaw. Genetic analysis has also shown that the two species may not be closely related.
The Toltec fruit-eating bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is also sometimes called the "lowland fruit eating bat."
Thomas's fruit-eating bat, sometimes also popularly called Watson's fruit-eating bat, is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found from southern Mexico, through Central America to Colombia. Its South American range is to the west of the Andes. The species name is in honor of H. J. Watson, a plantation owner in western Panama who used to send specimens to the British Natural History Museum, where Oldfield Thomas would often describe them.
Rosenberg's fruit-eating bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found in humid tropical forests in the El Chocó region on the coast of western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador at altitudes below 500 m. Until recently it was included within D. glauca, a canopy frugivore that also eats insects. It was elevated to full species status in 2009. The specific name is in honor of collector W. F. H. Rosenberg. The species is regarded as common, but is likely threatened by the deforestation of its habitat.
Benkeith's short-tailed bat is a leaf-nosed bat species found in Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. It very closely resembles the chestnut short-tailed bat, and the two species are likely often confused.
Artibeus schwartzi is a species of bat found in the Lesser Antilles. It was previously considered a subspecies of the Jamaican fruit bat,. It has been hypothesized that it arose from hybridization of three Artibeus species: A. jamaicensis, A. planirostris, and an unknown third species.
The Bogota fruit-eating bat is a species of bat found in South America.
Dermanura rava is a species of leaf-nosed bat found in Central and South America.
Artibeus aequatorialis is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. The bat is endemic to northwestern South America west of the Andes mountain range. It has been assessed as least concern by the IUCN.
