The Mexican dog-faced bat (Cynomops mexicanus) is a bat species of the family Molossidae from Central America. It is found from Nayarit in Mexico to Costa Rica at elevations up to 1500 m. It was formerly considered a subspecies of C. greenhalli. It roosts in deciduous and evergreen forest, and is usually found near small bodies of water.
It was described as a subspecies of Greenhall's dog-faced bat (Cynomops greenhalli) in 1967 by Jones and Genoways.At the time, Greenhall's dog-faced bat was in the genus Molossops, so the Mexican dog-faced bat initially had the trinomen Molossops greenhalli mexicanus.[1] When Cynomops was recognized as a valid genus rather than a subgenus of Molossops, Greenhall's dog-faced bat became part of the new genus.However, it wasn't until 2002 that the Mexican dog-faced bat was promoted to full species status. It is the most basal member of Cynomops.[2] Its species name "mexicanus" is Latin meaning "from Mexico."
It is a relatively large free-tailed bat. Total length is NaNmm; forearms and tails are NaNmm and NaNmm long, respectively. It weighs NaNg.[1] Fur color is dark brown or reddish brown overall, but lighter on the stomach.
It is nocturnal, and roosts in sheltered places during the day such as inside hollow trees.[1]