Desmodus fossil map
Where fossils of Desmodus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 0 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 2.58 million years ago to the present (Gelasian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Quaternary |
| Family | Phyllostomidae |
| Named by | Wied-Neuwied 1826 |
| Fossil records | 48 occurrences at 19 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, Argentina |
| Rock formations | txn:66303, Wicomico |
About 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.
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. The type species was previously described with the name Phyllostoma rotundus by Étienne Geoffroy in 1810.
subfamilia Desmodontinae
genus Desmodus
†Desmodus archaeodaptes, extinct,
†Desmodus draculae – giant vampire bat, extinct,
Desmodus rotundus – common vampire bat, extant,
†Desmodus rotundus puntajudensis (Desmodus puntajudensis) - Cuban vampire bat, extinct,
†Desmodus stocki – Stock's vampire bat, extinct.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Desmodus (revision 1313913188), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q2898536.
