 Velvety myotis can be distinguished from all other New World members of the genus "Myotis" by the velvety nature of its fur, possession of larger canine teeth, and by the shape of plagiopatagium and the absence of fur on the trailing edge of the uropatagium.These differences were once considered sufficient to place the bat within its own monotypic subgenus, but this has not been supported by subsequent analysis.It is found in northern and western Brazil, southern Colombia, eastern Ecuador and Peru, and in Bolivia, Paraguay, and northwestern Argentina.