The black mastiff bat was described as a new species in 1805 by French naturalist Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire.

[5] The black mastiff bat is a widespread species, occurring throughout much of Central and South America.

Its range includes the following countries: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay.

Its habitat includes forests and shrublands, with human structures used as roosts.

[1] The species is known to be impacted by the polyctenid parasitic bug Hesperoctenes fumarius.