Pheidole pallidula

Mostly a west-Mediterranean species, occurring from Italy to Spain and North Africa. Some closely related taxa occur from the Balkans eastwards (see Taylor & Sharaf 2010; Rigato & Toni, 2011).

Distribution
This taxon was described from Italy (Sicily). It is also found in Algeria and the Russian Federation.

Nomenclature

 *  pallidula. Myrmica pallidula Nylander, 1849: 42 (w.) ITALY (Sicily). Mayr, 1855: 457 (s.q.m.); Vandel, 1931: 114 (gynandromorph); Hauschteck, 1961: 221 (k.). Combination in Oecophthora: Mayr, 1855: 455; in Pheidole: Smith, 1858b: 173. Subspecies of megacephala: Emery & Forel, 1879: 463; Forel, 1890a: lxxvi; Emery, 1891b: 13. Revived status as species: Dalla Torre, 1893: 94; Ruzsky, 1902d: 26. Senior synonym of subdentata: Mayr, 1855: 456; of orientalis: Baroni Urbani, 1964a: 3; Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 123; of cicatricosa: Collingwood, 1978: 68; of inquilina: Bolton, 1987: 291; of arenarum: Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 123. Current subspecies: nominal plus koshewnikovi, obscura, recticeps, selenia, tasdelenia. See also: Emery, 1915j: 226; Wheeler, W.M. 1937c: 38; Baroni Urbani, 1971c: 70; Radchenko, 2007: 33.
 * subdentata. Oecophthora subdentata Mayr, 1853a: 145 (s.w.) AUSTRIA. Junior synonym of pallidula: Mayr, 1855: 456.
 * arenarum. Pheidole pallidula var. arenarum Ruzsky, 1905b: 647 (s.w.m.) KAZAKHSTAN. Karavaiev, 1926b: 106 (q.). Subspecies of pallidula: Emery, 1915j: 226; Emery, 1916b: 149. Raised to species: Collingwood, 1961a: 64; Collingwood, 1961b: 289. Junior synonym of pallidula: Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 123.
 * cicatricosa. Pheidole pallidula var. cicatricosa Stitz, 1917: 340, fig. 7 (s.w.) ALGERIA. Santschi, 1932g: 3 (q.). Junior synonym of pallidula: Collingwood, 1978: 68.
 * orientalis. Pheidole pallidula subsp. orientalis Müller, 1923: 69 (s.w.) RUSSIA. [First available use of Pheidole pallidula subsp. arenarum var. orientalis Emery, 1915j: 230; unavailable name.] Karavaiev, 1926b: 107 (q.m.); Menozzi, 1936d: 280 (l.). Junior synonym of pallidula: Baroni Urbani, 1964a: 3; Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 123.
 * inquilina. Xenoaphaenogaster inquilina Baroni Urbani, 1964b: 50, figs. 15, 16 (w.) ITALY (Sicily). [Unresolved junior secondary homonym of Epipheidole inquilina Wheeler, W.M. 1903f: 664.] Junior synonym of pallidula: Bolton, 1987: 291.

Additional References

 * Rigato, F.; Toni, I. 2011. Short notes 21. Hymenoptera, Formicidae. Pp. 873-882 in: Nardi, G.; Whitmore, D.; Bardiani, M.; Birtele, D.; Mason, F.; Spada, L.; Cerretti, P. (eds.) 2011. Biodiversity of Marganai and Montimannu (Sardinia). Research in the framework of the ICP Forests network. Conservazione Habitat Invertebrati, 5. Sommacampagna, Verona: Cierre Edizioni, 896 pp.