Toxomerus marginatus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Margined Calligrapher sighting in Salt Lake City on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 133rd most-seen of the 242 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June to August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Margined Calligrapher in Salt Lake City on a given day, against under 5% in September to May, the lowest months. Those are among Salt Lake City's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain a month against 70 mm in December.
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.
26th of 31
Of the 31 cities where we can rate Margined Calligrapher sightings, Salt Lake City ranks 26th at under 5%. 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 Salt Lake City (family Syrphidae, Hover Flies) are Large-Tailed Aphideater (about 10%), Eurasian Drone Fly (about 10%) and White-Bowed Smoothwing (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 Salt Lake City (11 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.
