Bug FAQMargined Calligrapher
Toxomerus marginatus · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae
Also called: Margined Calligrapher Fly, Syrphid Fly
The Margined Calligrapher is a small fly about half a centimeter long (5 to 6 mm). It has a whitish-yellow face, an olive-black thorax with a grey stripe, and a black shiny abdomen edged with yellow. It lives across much of North America, especially in cranberry fields, and adults visit many flowers while larvae eat thrips, aphids and tiny caterpillars.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The face is whitish-yellow and lightly dusty. The abdomen is black and shiny, with a narrow yellow margin.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure about 5 to 6 mm in length (0.20 to 0.24 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Found throughout many parts of North America. Commonly seen in cranberry fields.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae prey on thrips, aphids and small caterpillars. Adults feed on a wide variety of flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes many regions of North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 50 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Texas, Indiana, New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, Ohio, Virginia.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Are they a pest for homes or gardens?
They are not reported to damage buildings, food, or fabrics; they are beneficial as larvae eat garden pests.
Source: Wikipedia
Where might I see this fly?
Look for them in North American cranberry fields and other areas with flowering plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Syrphidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxomerus_marginatus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.