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 spectral bat, also called the great false vampire bat or Linnaeus's false vampire bat, is a large, carnivorous leaf-nosed bat found in Mexico, Central America, and South America. It is the only member of the genus Vampyrum; its closest living relative is the big-eared woolly bat. It is the largest bat species in the New World, as well as the largest carnivorous bat: its wingspan is 0.7–1.0 m (2.3–3.3 ft). It has a robust skull and teeth, with which it delivers a powerful bite to kill its prey. Birds are frequent prey items, though it may also consume rodents, insects, and other bats.
The Honduran white bat, also called the Caribbean white tent-making bat, is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomatidae. It is the only member of the genus Ectophylla. The genus and the species were both scientifically described for the first time in 1892. It has distinctive, entirely white fur, which is only found in six of the roughly 1,300 known species of bat. It constructs "tents" out of understory plant leaves by strategically cutting the leaf ribs with its teeth; it roosts in these tents during the day. It is a specialist frugivore, consuming almost exclusively the fruits of one species of fig. Females can likely become pregnant twice per year, giving birth to one offspring at a time.
The short-eared bat is a bat species found in Brazil, Costa Rica, Guyana and Nicaragua. It is the only species within its genus.
The tricolored big-eared bat is a bat species from South and Central America.
Tomes's sword-nosed bat, also known as the common sword-nosed bat is a bat species from South and Central America. It is also found in the Bahamas, but is known from only one specimen collected on the island of New Providence.
Marinkelle's sword-nosed bat is a bat species found in Colombia. In 2013, Bat Conservation International listed this species as one of the 35 species of its worldwide priority list of conservation. Its species name marinkellei was chosen to honor the Dutch scientist Cornelis Johannes Marinkelle, who worked in Colombia.
The white-throated round-eared bat is a bat species found from Honduras to Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil. It creates roosts inside the nests of the termite, Nasutitermes corniger. It thrives on a mainly insect-based diet, focusing on the surfaces of foliage to hunt, and also eats fruit and pollen. It has a very wide range and is a common species over much of that range, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".
Schmidts's big-eared bat is a bat species from South and Central America.
The bidentate yellow-eared bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae, native to South America. Formerly classified in the Vampyressa genus, phylogenetic analyses support its inclusion in Vampyriscus.
Lamotte's roundleaf bat is a species of bat found only at Mount Nimba on the border of Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea and Liberia. It is critically endangered.
Phyllostominae is a subfamily of bats that include big-eared, spear-nosed, sword-nosed bats and relatives.
Yates's big-eared bat is a species of leaf-nosed bat found in Bolivia.
