Toxomerus occidentalis

Curran, 1922

Western Calligrapher

Toxomerus occidentalis, commonly known as the Western Calligrapher, is a of hover fly ( Syrphidae) native to western North America. are frequent visitors to flowers where they feed on nectar and pollen. The larvae are predatory, feeding on aphids and mites. The species was described by Curran in 1922 and is one of the more commonly observed syrphid flies in its range.

Toxomerus occidentalis by (c) Sandy__R, some rights reserved (CC BY). Used under a CC-BY license.

Toxomerus occidentalis by (c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Ken-ichi Ueda. Used under a CC-BY license.

Tox.occidentalis-Female-2 crop by Eugene Zelenko. Used under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Toxomerus occidentalis: /tɔkˈsɒmərəs ˌɒksɪˈdɛntəlɪs/

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Identification

closely resemble the Eastern Calligrapher (Toxomerus geminatus), making visual distinction between these two challenging. Detailed examination of morphological characters is required for positive identification.