It is the only member of the genus Vampyrum; its closest living relative is the big-eared woolly bat.

Due to habitat destruction and its low population density, it is listed as a near-threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

[3] The genus and species names were not used in their current combination until biologist George Gilbert Goodwin did so in 1942.

[4] "Vampyrum" is a Neo-Latin derivative of vampire, thus named because it was once erroneously believed that the species was sanguivorous and consumed blood.

[5] Trachops Macrophyllum Vampyrum Chrotopterus Lophostoma Tonatia Phylloderma Phyllostomus Mimon Based on mitochondrial DNA and the RAG2 gene, the spectral bat is most closely related to the monotypic genus Chrotopterus (the big-eared woolly bat).

[19] Its legs are long, and the feet are composed of slender bones; each digit has a well-developed claw.

[12] The brain is large relative to the body; at 1:67, its brain-to-body mass ratio is higher than that of cats and dogs.

[22] The brain has well-developed olfactory bulbs and its cerebellum is the most ornamented and complex of any member of its subfamily.

[26] Its diet can be studied passively because it carries prey items back to its roost to consume, discarding unwanted parts such as bird feathers, bat wings, and rodent tails.

[27] However, a later study in Brazil determined that perching bird species were a majority of prey items.

[24] Doves and cuckoos are frequently consumed—they represented over half the prey items documented in the Costa Rican study.

The largest prey species identified was the white-tipped dove, which at 150 g (5.3 oz), weighs almost as much as spectral bats.

Because its prey items can be so large, it may only need to consume one bird every two or three nights to meet its caloric requirements.

[12] Its foraging style has been compared to owls; it likely uses its agile and maneuverable wings to hover as it plucks prey items off the ground or tree branches.

[17] Its bite force is predicted to measure 80–100 Newtons based on its body size and canine teeth characteristics.

[15] Low wing loading is advantageous for carnivorous bats because it allows them to pick up prey items from the ground and fly with them.

[31] Its wing structure allows it to take flight in confined spaces and to carry heavy prey items, despite the bat's size.

The male is often in attendance as well and will frequently sleep with both the female and their young completely wrapped up in his wings.

[35] Spectral bats roost independently or in small colonies of up to five individuals in hollow trees.

[36] The spectral bat is found in Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.