Plagiolepis pallescens

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Palaearctic Region: Armenia, China, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Israel, Kyrgyzstan.

Castes
Ergatoid queens reported by Espadaler (2007)

Nomenclature

 *  pallescens. Plagiolepis pygmaea var. pallescens Forel, 1889: 265 (w.) GREECE. Santschi, 1911i: 287 (q.); Finzi, 1928c: 790 (m.). Subspecies of pygmaea: Ruzsky, 1902d: 18; Santschi, 1920g: 168. Raised to species: Emery, 1921d: 315; Finzi, 1928c: 790; Karavaiev, 1931a: 311. Current subspecies: nominal plus atlantis, elguerrhae, isis, kabyla, maura, polygyna, sordida. See also: Menozzi, 1936d: 297.

Worker
Sharaf et al. (2011) - Syntype. TL 1.49, HL 0.45, HW 0.39, SL 0.39, EL 0.12, CI 87, SI 100, PRW 0.25, ML 0.46.

Yellowish brown, gaster yellowish paler than rest of body, legs and antennae yellow, propodeum dorsum characteristically reddish brown. Body smooth and shining. Head distinctly longer than broad with clearly convex sides. Eyes, in full-face view, fail to break head sides. Antennae with appressed pubescence. Second funicular segment as long as or little broader than long. Third funicular segment little longer than broad. Second and third funicular segments nearly subequal. Fourth funicular segment distinctly longer than broad, and little longer than broad. Scape surpassing posterior margin of head by 2-3 X its thickeness. Eyes large (EL 0.12), 0.3 x HW, with eleven ommatadia in the longest row. Anterior clypeal margin with several pairs of long hairs. Occiput nearly straight or feebly concave with strongly rounded posterior corners. Promesonotal suture indistinct. Metanotal groove feebly impressed. Erect hairs limited to anterior margin of clypeus and a small number on the gaster. Dorsum of head with abundant but widely spaced pubescence; other pubescence sparse.

Queen
Sharaf et al. (2011) - Syntype (gaster is broken) HL 0.63, HW 0.56, SL 0.53, EL 0.19, CI 89, SI 95, PRW 0.25, ML 0.92.

Body brown, legs and antennae yellowish brown. Eyes very large (EL 0.19) occupying about half head sides. Anterior clypeal margin with two pairs of long hairs. Palp formula 6,4. Second funicular segment about twice broader than long. Third funicular segment twice longer than broad, and twice longer than second. Fourth funicular segment clearly longer than broad and nearly as long as, or little shorter than, second and third segments combined. Occiput nearly straight or feebly concave with rounded posterior corners. Mesosoma robust, distinctly dorsoventrally compressed. Propodeal spiracle circular. Preonotal humeri with one pair of long hairs. Body with abundant appressed pubescence.

Male
Sharaf et al. (2011) - Syntype. TL 1.42-1.49, HL 0.38, HW 0.35-0.36, SL 0.34-0.38, EL 0.17, CI 92-95, SI 97-106, PRW 0.35-0.36, ML 0.61-0.63.

Body pale brown, legs yellow, all covered with relatively few sparse pubescence. Head distinctly broader than long. Occiput straight. Third funicular segment about twice longer than second segment. Fourth funicular segment as long as or little longer than second and third segments combined. Anterior clypeal margin with one pair of long hairs. Eyes prominent occupying more than half of head sides.

Type Material
Sharaf et al. (2011) - Syntype worker and two syntype males and one syntype queen, Morocco: Magador, iv.1905 (Vaucher) [examined].