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 , Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, Turkmenistan.

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

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.