A new type of bat has been found in the island, the second new species in as many years.

The Manx Bat Group has recorded the presence of lesser horseshoe bats in the south of the island.

Lesser horseshoe boats are not one of those previously known to be resident and this discovery brings the total number of bat species recorded for the Isle of Man up to nine.

Due to the way the bats’ presence was confirmed, by DNA analysis of bat droppings retrieved from a cellar, it has not yet been possible to confirm how many bats had been present.

Kevin Wells, chairman of the Manx Bat Group, said: ’This is extremely exciting news. This is the second new species recorded in as many years and just shows how important projects such as Bat Search and our roost monitoring are.

’We are really grateful to The Manx Lottery Trust Community Fund for their grant. This has allowed us to purchase the new equipment that has allowed our group to discover more about some of Manx Wildlife’s most interesting species.’

There is an earlier bat group record dating from November 2006, when a member of the public reported a grounded bat which from its description is thought to have been lesser horseshoe.

That bat flew away before its identity could be corroborated by the bat group.

Both records involve sites in the south of the island, approximately two miles apart.

The lesser horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus hipposideros, is one of Britain’s smallest bats, weighing between four to nine grams. In the late 19th century it was common as far north as Yorkshire but has not been recorded there since 1944.

Numbers declined drastically during the last century although in recent decades there has been some evidence of recovery.

Today its British Isles range is restricted to Wales, the south-west counties of England and the western counties of Ireland.

The discovery was made during a monitoring visit to a location previously known as a roost site for other bat species. Roost monitoring together with a new citizen science activity monitoring project, Bat Search launched in 2019, forms a large part of the Manx Bat Group’s enhanced programme for studying the island’s bat populations.

This programme is supported by a grant from the Manx Lottery Trust Community Fund which has enabled the bat group to purchase some specialist ultrasound detectors which a team of volunteers has been using last summer. Some bat roosting boxes have also been purchased using the grant and these will be deployed in 2020.

The Manx Bat Group will be carrying out further fieldwork in the coming season and is looking for volunteers to join in its monitoring activities this summer.

Anyone who would like to take part or to know more, can contact the group on Facebook, www.manxbatgroup.org.im or 366177.