Aphaenogaster pallida ( Nylander, 1849 )

Schifani, Enrico & Alicata, Antonio, 2023, Nomenclatural changes on some Mediterranean Aphaenogaster Mayr, 1853 taxa (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), Zootaxa 5277 (1), pp. 59-70 : 62-64

Aphaenogaster pallida ( Nylander, 1849)

= A. leveillei Emery, 1881 syn. nov.

= A. leveillei laurenti Santschi, 1939 syn. nov.

Investigated material— Aphaenogaster pallida : 6♀♀, Bova , Calabria, Italy, 37.9929, 15.93553, 13.IX.2016, E. Schifani legit ( ESPC) (in Schifani et al. 2022) ; 1♀, Civita , Calabria, Italy, 30.V.1990, F. Rigato legit (AntWeb CASENT0280960, NHMUK) ; 19♀♀, Capo Granitola , Sicily, Italy, 37.562370, 12.676987, 02.II.1993, A. Alicata legit ( AAPC) ; 13♀♀, Selinunte , Sicily, Italy, 37.584284, 12.838227, 02.II.1993, A. Alicata legit ( AAPC) ; 155♀♀, Monte Sparagio , Sicily, Italy, 38.048697, 12.796222, 09.XII.1993, A. Alicata legit ( AAPC) ; same except 25♀♀, 1♀, 38.042158, 12.753531, 1.III.1994;same except 71♀♀, 38.042158, 12.753531, 2.III.1994; 20♀♀, Villasmundo , Sicily, Italy, 37.250142, 15.088998, 8.XII.1993, A. Alicata legit ( AAPC) ; 10♀♀, Monte Cofano , Sicily, Italy, 38.104853, 12.691378, 9.XII.1993, A. Alicata legit ( AAPC) ; same except 5♀♀, 38.104853, 12.691378, 2.III.1994; same except 4♀♀, 38.103417, 12.677250, 15.XII.2017, E. Schifani legit ( ESPC) ; 5♀♀, Gorghi Tondi , Sicily, Italy, 37.607771, 12.653039, 10.XII.1993, A. Alicata legit ( AAPC) ; 59♀♀, 1♀, Monte Erice , Sicily, Italy, 38.039792, 12.595078, 10.XII.1993, A. Alicata legit ( AAPC) ; 3♀♀, Lago Arancio , Sicily, Italy, 37.645486, 13.063864, 11.XII.1993, A. Alicata legit ( AAPC) ; 21♀♀, Misilifurme , Sicily, Italy, 37.601222, 13.045778, 11.XII.1993, A.Alicata legit ( AAPC) ; 17♀♀, Castello della Pietra , Sicily, Italy, 37.667067, 12.891008, 11.XII.1993, A. Alicata legit ( AAPC) ; same except 6♀♀, 37.663300, 12.890549, 4.II.2022, E. Schifani legit ( ESPC) ; same except 2♀♀, 37.664462, 12.891323; 1♀, Pizzo Battaglia , Sicily, Italy, 37.951728, 14.559489, 13.I.1994, A. Alicata legit ( AAPC) ; 12♀♀, Francavilla , Sicily, Italy, 37.933358, 15.110997, 4.II.1994, A. Alicata legit ( AAPC) ; 2♀♀, Gualtieri Sicaminò , Sicily, Italy, 38.158969, 15.322989, 8.II.1994, A. Alicata legit ( AAPC) ; same except 11♀♀, 38.137572, 15.335097, 24.II.1994; 19♀♀, Corleone , Sicily, Italy, 37.847477, 13.319471, 19.II.1994, A. Alicata legit ( AAPC) ; 5♀♀, Monte Inici , 37.995989, 12.854347, 3.III.1994, A. Alicata legit ( AAPC) ; same except 14♀♀, 37.994467, 12.834525, 5.XII.1996; 17♀♀, Sciare di Santa Venera , 37.809257, 14.835406, 30.IV.1994, A. Alicata legit ( AAPC) ; 10♀♀, Santa Lucia del Mela , 38.124747, 15.328967, 9.II.1996, A. Alicata legit ( AAPC) ; 2♀♀, Agira , Sicily, Italy, 37.553519, 14.533347, 2007, A. Alicata legit ( AAPC) ; 14♀♀, Rocca Busambra , Sicily, Italy, 37.905128, 13.386528, 19.III.1997, A. Alicata legit ( AAPC) ; same except 12♀♀, 37.860979, 13.361058, 7.III.2021, E. Schifani legit ( ESPC) ; same except 3♀♀, 37.859918, 13.367695; 3♀♀, Pineta di Vittoria , Sicily, Italy, 36.915647, 14.504020, 06.III.2001, A. Alicata legit ( AAPC) ; same except 11♀♀, 36.90852, 14.48389, 30.III.2001; same except 1♀, 36.87263, 14.45846, 16.V.2001; same except 4♀, 36.892726, 14.474514, 25.III.2019, E. Schifani legit ( ESPC) ; 2♀♀, Villarosa , Sicily, Italy, 37.553803, 14.168458, 29.VI.2007, A. Alicata legit ( AAPC) ; same except 1♀, 37.626167, 14.172367; same except 2♀♀, 37.553803, 14.168458, 6.XI.2007; same except 1♀, 37.638508, 14.191286; 2♀♀, Monte Pellegrino , Sicily, Italy, 38.172887, 13.350970, III.2016, E. Schifani legit ( ESPC) ; same except 3♀♀, 38.174444, 13.345556, 20.III.2017, R. Viviano legit; same except 2♀♀, 38.163889, 13.347222, 23.III.2017; same except 1♀, 38.185983, 13.334625, 18.XI.2017; same except 2♀♀, 38.162639, 13.354306, I. XI.2020; same except 38.164444, 13.358611, 15.XI.2020; same except 3♀♀, 38.168472, 13.360139, 21.II.2021; same except 5♀♀, 1♀, 38.157694, 13.365824, II. IV.2021, E. Schifani legit; same except 10♀♀, 38.189282, 13.334694, 30.IV.2021; 2♀♀, 1³, Bompietro , Sicily, Italy, 37.750526, 14.097143, X.2016, E. Schifani legit ( ESPC) ; 2♀♀, Lago Scanzano , Sicily, Italy, 37.91445, 13.37139, 18.III.2017, E. Schifani legit ( ESPC) ; 1♀, Levanzo , Sicily, Italy, 37.989651, 12.348252, 8.IV.2017, E. Schifani legit ( ESPC) ; 3♀♀, Lampedusa , Sicily, Italy, 35.509264, 12.624002, 7.X.2017, E. Schifani legit ( ESPC) (in Schifani et al. 2022) ; same except 2♀♀, 35.514889, 12.569083; 16♀♀, 9♀♀, 18³³, Capo Gallo , Sicily, Italy, 38.212208, 13.291560, 15.X.2018, E. Schifani legit ( ESPC) (in Schifani et al. 2022) ; 3♀♀, Marettimo , Sicily, Italy, 37.961944, 12.062111, 8.III.2019, E. Schifani legit ( ESPC) ; same except 2♀♀, 37.961944, 12.062111, 26.VIII.2020; same except 4♀♀, 37.973378, 12.057659, 28.IV.2022; 1♀, Castello del Calatubo , Sicily, Italy, 38.015278, 12.986944, 23.III.2019, R. Viviano legit ( ESPC) ; 4♀♀, Monte Pecoraro , Sicily, Italy, 38.168139, 13.126389, 18.X.2020, R. Viviano legit ( ESPC) ; same except 2♀♀, 37.972367, 12.058748, 16.VIII.2020; same except 1♀, 37.973378, 12.057659, 28.IV.2022; 8♀♀, Bosco Angimbè , Sicily, Italy, 37.949908, 12.887768, 14.III.2020, E. Schifani legit ( ESPC) ; same except 3♀♀, 37.950376, 12.887631; 3♀♀, Monte San Calogero , Sicily, Italy, 37.938866, 13.724756, 15.I.2022, E. Schifani legit ( ESPC) ; same except 6♀♀, 37.942601, 13.731630; 4♀♀, Isola di San Pantaleo, Sicily , Italy, 37.867999, 12.464691, 26.IV.2022, E. Schifani legit ( ESPC) ; 1♀, Buseto Palizzolo , Sicily, Italy, 38.013940, 12.719377, 13.II.2022, E. Schifani legit ( ESPC) ; 10♀♀, Zingaro , Sicily, Italy, 38.100448, 12.797266, 15.I.2023, E. Schifani legit ( ESPC) ; 2♀♀, El Feija National Park , Jendouba, Tunisia, 36.773806, 8.651889, 18.XI.2016, W. Oueslati legit ( ESPC) ; 16♀♀, Beni Mtir , Jendouba, Tunisia, 36.741167, 8.726500, W. Oueslati legit ( ESPC) (in Schifani et al. 2022).

Aphaenogaster pallida ( Nylander, 1849) was described from Sicily, while its two varieties leveillei Emery, 1881 and laurenti Santschi, 1939 were described from Algeria ( Nylander 1849; Emery 1881; Santschi 1939). In particular, the “race” leveillei (CASENT0904154) was proposed by Emery as an infrasubspecific name for a single Algerian worker of A. pallida , which was anecdotally described as “more gracile” in comparison with the Sicilian form ( Emery 1881). In a similar but opposite fashion, Santschi (1939) described the variety laurenti (CASENT0913118) as “more robust” than the Sicilian form, but at the same time, he noted that laurenti was “more similar” to the Sicilian typical form than to the variety leveillei .

Since the publication of the original descriptions, no additional data was produced to sustain that leveillei and laurenti represented distinct taxa, and their identity has remained unclear. Nonetheless, Cagniant (1996) elevated the variety leveillei to species rank and considered the variety laurenti as its subspecies without providing any explanation.The type specimens of A. leveillei and A. leveillei laurenti do not differ by any qualitative morphological character that would support their status as separate forms of A. pallida . Furthermore, available phylogenetic data indicate that the same species occurs in the Maghreb and Sicily ( Schifani et al. 2022). Therefore, A. pallida is established as a senior synonym of A. laurenti and A. leveillei ( Fig. 2 ).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Workers and male of Aphaenogaster pallida. A,B: worker from Italy (CASENT0280960, photo by Shannon Hartman). C,D: syntype worker of A. pallida var. laurenti from Algeria (CASENT0913118, photo by Z. Lieberman). E,F: syntype worker of A. pallida r. leveillei from Algeria (CASENT0904154, photo by Z. Lieberman). G,H: male from Sicily, Italy. Photos A–F are available on www.antweb.org.