Bats of Mallorca (1 Viewer)

I now live in Mallorca and am mostly a birder with a recent interest in moths and butterflies. I have some friends staying nearby who are keen bat watchers and have asked me what species they are likely to encounter. I have searched the net but cannot find a list of species seen other than a reference to there being
18 species and a recent discovery of Geoffroy´s bat. (Myotis emarginatus). Is this correct and can anyone help with a list? Many thanks.

Hi Mike

According to the species distribution maps in Bats of Britain, Europe and Northwest Africa (Dietz et al ) the following species are found on the island:

Lesser Horseshoe (Rhinolophus hipposideros)
Greater Horseshoe (R. ferrumequinum)
Mehely’s Horseshoe (R. mehelyi)
Long-fingered Bat (Myotis capaccinii)
Natterer’s Bat (M. nattereri)
Greater Mouse-eared Bat (M. myotis)
Common Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus)
Kuhl’s Pipistrelle (P. kuhlii)
Savi’s Pipistrelle (P. savii)
Serotine Bat (Eptesicus serotinus)
Western Barbastelle (Barbastella barbastellus)
Grey Long-eared Bat (Plecotus austriacus)
Schreiber’s Bent-winged Bat (Miniopterus schreibersii)
European Free-tailed Bat (Tadarida teniotis)

Perhaps the other four species are found in very small populations and do not show on distribution map. More likely they are vagrants that have only been recorded a couple of times.

Geoffroy’s Bat is shown as absent from the island, but present in all of Spain, France and some of North Africa. It seems likely that this species would be discovered on Mallorca.

Hope this helps a little.

That is a fantastic help, thank you. I will now be taking a much greater interest in bats as the people staying have inspired me. They are giving me lots of help and advice so I will post any sightings.

Hi Mike

There are quite a few scientific papers relating to Bats on Mallorca. I've extracted a list that might be of interest:

Title: [Chiropterological catalogue of Albufera de Mallorca nature park.]
Author(s): Trujillo, Domingo; Garcia, David; Pons, Guillem X.
Pages: 132-133 Published: 2008

First record of seasonal over sea migration of Miniopterus schreibersii and Myotis capaccinii between Balearic Islands (Spain)
Author(s): Amengual, B; Lopez-Roig, M; Serra-Cobo, J
Source: ACTA CHIROPTEROLOGICA Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Pages: 319-322 Published: 2007

[Fifteen years of chiropterological studies in the Balearic Islands (1993-2007).]
Author(s): Serra-Cobo, Jordi; Amengual, Blanca; Lopez-Roig, Marc; et al.
Source: Endins Volume: 31 Pages: 125-140 Published: 2007

[The Chiroptera of the S'Albufera Natural Park in Majorca.]
Author(s): Noblet, Jean Francois
Source: Monografies de la Societat d'Historia Natural de les Balears Volume: 4 Pages: 169-173 Published: 1995

Apunts sobre els avencs del Puig Major (Escorca, Mallorca).
Author(s): Trias, M.
Source: Endins Pages: 21-26 Published: 1987

Una captura de Nyctalus noctula Schreber (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) en Mallorca.
Author(s): Munar Bernat, J.
Source: Bolleti de la Societat d'Historia Natural de les Balears Volume: 26 Pages: 233-236Published: 1982

Some, if not all of these will be kept in s'Albufera.

There's also a list of the bats of s'Albufera in the 2002 published catalogue (p. 77).
See: http://www.mallorcaweb.net/salbufera/docs/cataleg_biodiversitat_2002.pdf

I hope this helps

Martin

Martin, thank you so much. Our friends are delighted by the help as I have passed it all over to them. I have also looked up the papers for my own benefit. Another challenge for me. I have always loved bats but never studied them much. I am still struggling with all the moths I have been trapping!