Urophorus humeralis (Fabricius, 1798)

Species Fact Sheet
Urophorus humeralis (Fabricius, 1798)

Figure 1. Male dorsal and ventral habitus

Diagnosis: Urophorus humeralis specimens are distinguished from other eastern North American species by having three tergites visible beyond the elytra in dorsal view (Fig. 1). Males also have a round punctate depression on the 5th ventrite anterior to the supplementary segment and distinctly longer setae located medially on the posterior margin of the 4th ventrite (Fig. 1 & 8). Females are distinguished by a large round depression on the pygidium (Fig. 7). 

Note: The number of visible tergites in Carpophilinae specimens may be misleading in some specimens due to distention or retraction caused by certain preservation methods (Fig. 9). This occurs commonly in Urophorus humeralis specimens. The specimen in Fig. 9 has the 2nd tergite distended and the 5th tergite (pygidium) retracted. Distended tergites can be distinguished from those which are normally visible by only being sclerotized in the posterior half only.

Distribution: Urophorus humeralis is a cosmopolitan species and one of the most widely spread Carpophilinae species. Thought to be native to Asia, it is now spread to every continent. Found throughout the US.

Biology: U. humeralis can be found feeding on most fruits and vegetables, especially when they are over ripened. This species is also known to infest stored food products and can be a pest in processing plants (Schmidt, 1935). U. humeralis is known to transport pathogens from one fruit to another. Develops from egg to adult in 29 days at 24℃ (Connell, 1956). Larvae illustrated and described by Connell, 1956.

References:
(1) Chang, V. C. S., & Jensen, L. (1974) – Transmission of pathogens in pineapples
(2) Connell, W. A. (1956) – larvae and adult descriptions and key to larvae and adults
(3) Denux O., Zagatti P. (2010) – Distribution
(4) Schmidt, C. T. (1935) – feeding habits and development rates

Double-click on images to enlarge

HOW TO CITE THIS WORK:

DiLorenzo, C.L., G.S. Powell, A.R. Cline, and J.V. McHugh (2021) Carpophiline-ID, a taxonomic web resource for the identification of Carpophilinae (Nitidulidae) of eastern North America. (vers. 01.19.2021) University of Georgia, retrieved from https://site.caes.uga.edu/carpophiline-id/