While initially and currently described as a species, from 1959 to 2006 it was considered a subspecies of the Mexican funnel-eared bat, Natalus stramineus.

[3] In 1959, George Goodwin revised it from a species to a subspecies of the Mexican funnel-eared bat, Natalus stramineus.

Its wings are long and narrow with pale brown flight membranes.

Pregnant females have been observed January through July, and gestation is thought to last 8–10 months due to slow fetal development.

[8] It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama.