Toxomerus marginatus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Toxomerus marginatus, also known as the margined calligrapher fly, is a common species of hoverfly. It is found in many parts of North America. The larvae are predators of thrips, aphids, and small caterpillars. Adults feed on a wide range of flowers. Smith & Chaney 2007 finds T. marginatus is the most numerous of the Syrphidae species controlling aphids in lettuce fields on California's Central Coast.Toxomerus marginatus are commonly found in cranberry fields. This species of syrphid is highly attracted to the plant volatile methyl salicylate, which is a floral compound as well as being an herbivore-induced plant volatile.
5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) The face is whitish yellow and thinly pollinose. It is expanded forward and downwards, with a yellow facial tubercle that is yellow pilose. The gena is black and yellow pilose. The frontal triangle is yellow, and the vertical triangle is black, both with black pilose. The antennae are reddish yellow and a little brownish gray above, with a black arista. The eye has a distinct triangular emargination on the posterior margin at or above the level of the antenna, is bare. The occiput is black and silvery... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Badlands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Tijuana | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 8 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Margined Calligrapher sighting in Phoenix on a given day, based on 55 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 45th most-seen of the 264 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September to May
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Margined Calligrapher in Phoenix on a given day, against under 5% in June to August, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Margined Calligrapher sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
20th of 31
Of the 31 cities where we can rate Margined Calligrapher sightings, Phoenix ranks 20th at about 10%. The best odds are in Boston (United States, about 20%), Minneapolis [Saint Paul] (United States, about 20%) and Sacramento (United States, about 20%).
Same family: Syrphidae
The closest relatives of the Margined Calligrapher that you can see in Phoenix (family Syrphidae, Hover Flies) are Large-Tailed Aphideater (about 10%), Dioprosopa clavatus (about 10%) and Thick-Legged Hover Fly (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Margined Calligrapher is recorded against all the insects logged in Phoenix (55 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
