[2] Thomas named it after Dr. J. Trumbull, who collected the holotype in May 1898 in Pará, Brazil.

[3] In 1906, Miller placed the species in his newly-coined genus Eumops, where it has remained.

[4] In 1932, Sanborn considered it a subspecies of the western mastiff bat, reclassifying it as Eumops perotis trumbulli.

[5] However, in 1977, Eger considered the Colombian bonneted bat a full species.

[5] In his initial description, Thomas wrote that it was similar in appearance to the western mastiff bat, but with smaller ears, smaller tragi, and lighter teeth.