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The 'leaf-nosed bats' ('Phyllostomidae') are ecologically the most varied and diverse family within the order Chiroptera. Phyllostomid bats include within their number true predatory species that take vertebrate prey including small Dove-sized birds in the case of the False Vampire, ''Vampyrum spectrum'', the largest bat in the Americas. Members of this family have evolved to utilize food groups such as fruit, nectar, pollen, insects, frogs, other bats and small vertebrates, and even blood.
Both the scientific and common names derive from their often large, lance-shaped noses, greatly reduced in some of the nectar- and pollen-feeders. Because these bats echolocate nasally, this "nose-leaf" is thought to serve some role in modifying and directing the echolocation call.
There are 148 described species within 48 genera, which are listed below.

★ ''Ametrida''

★ ''Anoura'' (Geoffroy's Long-nosed Bats)

★ ''Ardops'' (Tree Bat)

★ ''Ariteus'' (Jamaican Fig-eating Bat)

★ ''Artibeus'' (Neotropical Fruit Bats)

★ ''Brachyphylla''

★ ''Carollia'' (Short-tailed Leaf-nosed Bats)

★ ''Centurio'' (Wrinkle-faced Bat or Lattice-winged Bat)

★ ''Chiroderma'' (Big-eyed Bats or White-lined Bats)

★ ''Choeroniscus''

★ ''Choeronycteris'' (Mexican Long-nosed Bat or Hog-nosed Bat)

★ ''Chrotopterus'' (Peters's Woolly False Vampire Bat)

★ ''Desmodus'' (Common Vampire Bat)

★ ''Diaemus'' (White-winged Vampire Bat)

★ ''Diphylla'' (Hairy-legged Vampire Bat)

★ ''Ectophylla'' (White Bat)

★ ''Erophylla'' (Brown Flower Bats)

★ ''Glossophaga''

★ ''Hylonycteris'' (Underwood's Long-tongued Bat)

★ ''Leptonycteris'' (Saussure's Long-nosed Bats)

★ ''Lichonycteris''

★ ''Lionycteris''

★ ''Lonchophylla''

★ ''Lonchorhina'' (Sword-nosed Bats)

★ ''Macrophyllum'' (Long-legged Bat)

★ ''Macrotus'' (Big-eared Bats)

★ ''Micronycteris'' (Little Big-eared Bats)

★ ''Mimon'' (Gray's Spear-nosed Bats)

★ ''Monophyllus''

★ ''Musonycteris'' (Banana Bat or Colima Long-nosed Bat)

★ ''Phylloderma'' (Peters's Spear-nosed Bat)

★ ''Phyllonycteris'' (Jamaican Flower Bat)

★ ''Phyllops'' (Falcate-winged Bats)

★ ''Phyllostomus'' (Spear-nosed Bats)

★ ''Platalina''

★ ''Pygoderma'' (Ipanema Bat)

★ ''Rhinophylla''

★ ''Scleronycteris''

★ ''Sphaeronycteris''

★ ''Stenoderma'' (Red Fruit Bat)

★ ''Sturnira'' (Yellow-shouldered Bats or American Epauleted Bats)

★ ''Tonatia'' (Round-eared Bats)

★ ''Trachops'' (Frog-eating Bat)

★ ''Uroderma'' (Tent-building Bats)

★ ''Vampyressa'' (Yellow-eared Bats)

★ ''Vampyrodes'' (Great Stripe-faced Bat)

★ ''Vampyrops'' (White-lined Bats)

★ ''Vampyrum'' (Linnaeus's False Vampire Bat or Spectral Vampire)