Bug FAQWestern Calligrapher
Toxomerus occidentalis · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae
Also called: Western Calligrapher Fly
Adults look much like the Eastern Calligrapher, making them hard to tell apart. They are common in western North America from British Columbia down to California, Colorado and Texas. Adults hover around flowers to sip nectar and pollen, while larvae hunt aphids and mites.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Adults are often seen hovering over flowers where they feed on nectar and pollen.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae prey on a variety of aphids and mites.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults feed on nectar and pollen while hovering around flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Adults closely resemble the Eastern Calligrapher.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 7 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Nevada.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where am I likely to see Western Calligrapher flies?
Around flowers in western North America, from British Columbia to California, Colorado and Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the larvae of Western Calligrapher flies eat?
They hunt and eat aphids and mites.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Syrphidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxomerus_occidentalis
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.