It was previously considered a subspecies of the Jamaican fruit bat, (A. jamaicensis).

[2] A. schwartzi was described as a new subspecies of the Jamaican fruit bat in 1978.

[3] In 2007, however, Larsen et al. determined that A. schwartzi should be recognized as a full species based on genetic data.

[2] The eponym for the species name "schwartzi" is in honour of American biologist Albert Schwartz.

[1] It is endemic to the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean Sea.