Pheidole pallidula ( Nylander, 1849 )

Sharaf, Mostafa R., Fisher, Brian L., Collingwood, Cedric A. & Aldawood, Abdulrahman S., 2017, Ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Socotra Archipelago (Yemen): zoogeography, distribution and description of a new species, Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 51 (5 - 6), pp. 317-378 : 350

Pheidole pallidula ( Nylander, 1849)

Myrmica pallidula Nylander, 1849: 42 (w.) Italy (Sicily). Palaearctic.

Diagnosis

Major worker. TL 3.4–3.9; Head in full-face view subrectangular with moderately deeply impressed posterior margin; clypeus smooth and shining with weak median longitudinal carina; frontal carinae short and feebly divergent; antennae elongate; eyes small and weakly circular; hypostoma with a pair of large lateral teeth; mesosoma in profile with a slightly domed promesonotum; metanotal groove impressed; propodeal spines with small triangular teeth. In profile, petiole with a relatively short pedicel; postpetiole small and globular; gaster distinctly smaller than head; pilosity long, fine and abundant. Body shining; sculpture absent except for fine longitudinal striations on anterior onethird of head. Colour overall pale yellowish brown, mandibles dark brown.

Material examined

Socotra (no specific locality), September 1999 (W. Wranik leg.) (1 major worker, WMLC) .

Geographic range

Pheidole pallidula has a broad distribution in the Mediterranean region ( Bernard 1983) and has been recorded from the Iberian Peninsula ( Espadaler 1986). Our collections represent a new record for Socotra Island.

Ecological and biological notes

No ecological or biological information is available.