Toxomerus marginatus

Toxomerus marginatus
Toxomerus marginatus female
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Syrphidae
Genus: Toxomerus
Species:
T. marginatus
Binomial name
Toxomerus marginatus
(Say, 1823)
Synonyms
  • Scaeva marginata Say, 1823
  • Syrphus limbiventris Thomson, 1869

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.