It was described from Late Quaternary cave deposits in Cuba (Las Villas Province, Trinidad, Cueva de los Masones)[1][2] and found also in Rancholabrean cave deposits in southern Florida (Monkey Jungle Hammock).

P. pristinus,[4] because they could not be directly compared with the Cuban material (several skulls, postcranial elements), but they may represent P.

[5] In Florida, the pristine mustached bat became locally extinct at the end of the Pleistocene,[3][5] what probably resulted from the rise in sea level, the subsequent flooding of caves and loss of roosting sites.

[3] In these three sites in southern peninsula, the sea level stand change presumably was also reason of extirpation of another tropical cave-dwelling bat in the Neotropical family Mormoopidae (extralimital ghost-faced bat Mormoops megalophylla) and one North American species (southeastern myotis Myotis austroriparius) as well.

[3][5] The fourth species - big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) became rare in Florida caves.