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
Pheidole pallidula has a broad distribution in the Mediterranean region (Bernard 1983) and has been recorded from the Iberian Peninsula (Espadaler 1986). Sharaf et al. (2017) report the first record from Socotra Island, Yemen.

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists
Afrotropical Region: Yemen. Palaearctic Region: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Balearic Islands, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Croatia, France, Georgia, Gibraltar, Greece, Iberian Peninsula, Iran, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Portugal , Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, Turkmenistan.

Morphology
Castro et al. (2016) described a stridulatory structure in this species. They used SEM photographs to discern the details they reported.

A pentagonal pars stridens, but in this case the pentagon is inverted, with the apex pointing to the gaster. This shape is much more marked in the major than in the minor forms. Width and length are quite similar, but it is slightly wider (0.08 mm width and 0.07 mm length). Striation is among the thinnest of all the considered species. Pillars are noticeable and thin, with scattered teeth situated mostly in the lateral parts of the stridulatory organs.

Other Insects
This ant has been associated with the butterflies  Favonius quercus and Zizeeria knysna'' (Obregon et al. 2015).

Fungi
This species is a host for the endoparastic fungus Myrmicinosporidium durum (Espadaler & Santamaria, 2012).

Worker
Minor

Nomenclature

 *  pallidula. Myrmica pallidula Nylander, 1849: 42 (w.) ITALY (Sicily).
 * [Misspelled as pallidcela by Wheeler, W.M. 1937c: 38, figure caption.].
 * Mayr, 1855: 457 (s.q.m.); Vandel, 1931: 114 (gynandromorph); Hauschteck, 1961: 221 (k.).
 * Combination in Oecophthora: Mayr, 1855: 455.
 * Combination in Pheidole: Smith, 1858b: 173.
 * Junior synonym of megacephala: Mayr, 1861: 70 (in key).
 * Subspecies of megacephala: Emery & Forel, 1879: 463; Forel, 1890a: lxxvi; Emery, 1891b: 13; Dalla Torre, 1893: 94.
 * Status as species: Mayr, 1855: 455; Nylander, 1856b: 97; Roger, 1863b: 30; Mayr, 1863: 441; Emery, 1869b: 19; Forel, 1874: 81 (in key); André, 1874: 198 (in key); André, 1881b: 76; André, 1883b: 383 (in key); Nasonov, 1889: 39; Ruzsky, 1902d: 26; Ruzsky, 1903b: 310; Ruzsky, 1905b: 643; Karavaiev, 1910b: 61; Forel, 1915d: 33 (in key); Emery, 1915j: 226; Wheeler, W.M. & Mann, 1916: 170; Stitz, 1917: 339; Bondroit, 1918: 166; Menozzi, 1921: 26; Emery, 1921f: 86; Müller, 1923a: 69; Müller, 1923b: 67; Wheeler, W.M. 1926: 3; Karavaiev, 1927a: 288; Finzi, 1936: 162; Wheeler, W.M. 1937c: 38; Finzi, 1940: 159; Bernard, 1945: 133; Bernard, 1956b: 258; Bernard, 1959: 346; Baroni Urbani, 1964a: 3; Baroni Urbani, 1964b: 42; Baroni Urbani, 1964c: 152; Cagniant, 1964: 88; Pisarski, 1967: 385; Bernard, 1967: 153 (redescription); Baroni Urbani, 1968b: 446; Pisarski, 1970: 307; Cagniant, 1970a: 417; Baroni Urbani, 1971c: 70; Baroni Urbani, 1976: 211; Tarbinsky, 1976: 68 (redescription); Aktaç, 1977: 121; Arnol'di & Dlussky, 1978: 537 (in key); Collingwood, 1978: 77 (in key); Schembri & Collingwood, 1981: 427; Bolton, 1987: 291; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 272 (in key); Dlussky, Soyunov & Zabelin, 1990: 229; Atanassov & Dlussky, 1992: 123; Arakelian, 1994: 41; Bolton, 1995b: 327; Mei, 1995: 762; Cagniant, 2006a: 197; Radchenko, 2007: 33; Seifert, 2016b: 13.
 * Senior synonym of subdentata: Mayr, 1855: 456.
 * Senior synonym of inquilina: Bolton, 1987: 291.
 * Senior synonym of symbiotica: Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2015: 183.
 * Senior synonym of obscura: Seifert, 2016b: 13.
 * Current subspecies: nominal plus selenia, tasdelenia.
 * subdentata. Oecophthora subdentata Mayr, 1853a: 145 (s.w.) AUSTRIA. Junior synonym of pallidula: Mayr, 1855: 456.
 * symbiotica. Pheidole symbiotica Wasmann, 1909: 693 (footnote), figs. 1, 2 (w.) PORTUGAL. Wasmann, 1910: 515 (q.m.). Junior synonym of pallidula: Forel, 1913d: 430. Revived from synonymy as subspecies of pallidula: Emery, 1915j: 226. Revived status as species: Collingwood, 1978: 68. Junior synonym of pallidula: Borowiec & Salata, 2015: 183.
 * 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.
 * emeryi. Pheidole pallidula var. emeryi Krausse, 1912a: 169 (s.w.) ITALY (Sardinia).
 * [Junior primary homonym of Pheidole emeryi Mayr, 1887: 589.]
 * Subspecies of pallidula: Emery, 1921f: 86.
 * Replacement name: Pheidole pallidula var. obscura Santschi, 1936c: 200.
 * obscura. Pheidole pallidula var. obscura Santschi, 1936c: 200.
 * Replacement name for Pheidole pallidula var. emeryi Krausse, 1912a: 169. [Junior primary homonym of Pheidole emeryi Mayr, 1887: 589.]
 * Subspecies of pallidula: Bolton, 1995b: 326.
 * Junior synonym of pallidula: Seifert, 2016b: 13.