ABSTRACT
The unique habit of subsisting wholly on a uniform blood diet distinguishes vampires from all other species of bats. Three vampire genera, Desmodus, Diaemus, and Diphylla are well recognized. An attempt has been made in this review to cover as much of the anatomy of Desmodus rotundus from the literature as possible with additional remarks on the other two species. The internal anatomy of the nose and distribution of the olfactory epithelium in Desmodus has been examined by several authors. Ultrastructural examination of the vomeronasal neuroepithelium in Desmodus reveals the presence of short microvilli on the minimally exposed receptor surface, whereas long microvilli emanate from the supporting cells. The vomeronasal receptor-free epithelium shows wide variation in the morphology of its free surface. The entire receptor-free epithelium bears tall cilia in Diaemus, whereas mixed populations of nonciliated and cilated cells occur in Desmodus, but only a few ciliated cells have been observed in Diphylla.
