Species comparison

Aphaenogaster subterranea vs Pheidole pallidula

Side by side: difficulty, size, growth, climate, hibernation and nuptial flights, from the data and sources of each species sheet.

Head to head

Aphaenogaster subterranea and Pheidole pallidula compared fact by fact
Aphaenogaster subterraneaPheidole pallidula
Keeping
Difficulty
Easier4/7

Beginner

7/7

Advanced

Escape risk
LowerLow
High
Diet
InsectsSugar
SugarInsectsSeeds
Best nests
Ytong nest · Naturalistic setup · Sandwich nest
Acrylic nest · Naturalistic setup
Colony
Growth
Moderate
FasterVery fast
Colony size
Reaches 2,000 workers
Reaches 1,000 workers
Workers
3–5 mm

All the same size

2–4 mm

majors up to 6 mm

Queen
7–8 mm
7–8 mm
Colony founding
Fully claustral

One queen

Fully claustral

One or more queens

Defense
Bites · Stings
Bites
Climate
Nest temperature
20–26 °C
21–28 °C
Nest humidity
50–65 %
60–70 %
Hibernation
8–12 °C

Nov – Feb

12–16 °C

Nov – Mar

Nuptial flights
Jul – Sep
May – Aug
Native range
Europe
Europe, North Africa

Size to scale

  • Aphaenogaster subterranea

    Workers · 3–5 mm
    Queen · 7–8 mm

  • Pheidole pallidula

    Workers · 2–4 mm
    Majors · ≤ 6 mm
    Queen · 7–8 mm
10 mm: both species are drawn at the same scale

Their year side by side

  • Aphaenogaster subterranea : Hibernation: Nov – Feb, Nuptial flights: Jul – Sep

  • Pheidole pallidula : Hibernation: Nov – Mar, Nuptial flights: May – Aug

Months for temperate Europe and the Mediterranean. The weather decides the exact days, so flights can come earlier or later where you live.

How to tell them apart

Aphaenogaster subterranea

Slim, shiny, reddish-brown workers with long yellowish legs and antennae, a pair of spines on the thorax and a waist with a long stalk, like a slimmer Myrmica. The very similar Aphaenogaster ichnusa, found in the same southern European regions, has shorter, stubbier spines.

  • Tip Be patient with a young colony: it starts slowly, and keepers report only a handful of workers after the first months, then faster growth once the colony has settled in.
  • Tip The workers carry everything they find straight into the nest and cannot pass liquids mouth to mouth. Cut food into small pieces so nothing big rots inside, and put a pinch of clean sand in the nest or beside the sugar water, because they carry liquids on soaked grains.

Pheidole pallidula

Light yellowish to reddish-brown workers of two kinds: small, quick minors and majors whose head looks far too big for their body. The majors carry strong, sharp jaws.

  • Tip Offer a few small seeds next to the sugar and insects: the big-headed majors crack them open so the whole colony can eat the soft part inside.
  • Tip They like consistently moist chambers. If the nest dries out too quickly, rearrange the setup so it holds moisture better: in a naturalistic setup, a piece of wood or a bark substrate helps.

More comparisons

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Aphaenogaster subterranea sheet Pheidole pallidula care guide

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