Three species were recently moved to the genus Vampyriscus.

The two genera are differentiated by the morphology of their bones and teeth and the pattern of their pelage.

[1] A molecular phylogeny using sequences of the cytochrome b gene showed that V. sinchi is a subspecies of V.

[2] In 2024, a new species was described in México, based on morphological and molecular data.

The new species, named Vampyressa villai, is similar to V. thyone but differs in DNA sequences and pelage and cranial characters.