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 based on Regional Taxon Lists
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, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovenia, Spain, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkmenistan.

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.