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Eastern Calligrapher
Toxomerus geminatus
Toxomerus geminatus (Say,1823) the Eastern Calligrapher, is a common species of syrphid fly observed in the eastern and central United States and Canada. Syrphid flies are also known as Hover Flies or Flower Flies because the adults are frequently found hovering around flowers from which they feed on nectar and pollen. Adults are 6.1–7.6 mm (0.24–0.30 in) long and are very similar to the Western Calligrapher. The larvae are predators of a variety of aphids and mites.
From the article Toxomerus geminatus on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
For terminology see Speight key to genera and glossary
Size Length, . 5–7.6 mm (0.20–0.30 in)
Head The face, frontal triangle, and antennae are light yellow in color, and the face has white pollen on the sides. The antennae may sometimes be a little brownish. In the female, the front is much narrower above, and is shining black, with a narrow yellow line on the sides at the lower half. The posterior orbits are thickly whitish dusted, and the eye has a distinct triangular emargination on the posterior margin at or above the level of the antennae.
Thorax
The scutum is shining black, with opaque linear stripes and the lateral stripes being entirely yellow and the median stripe being cinereous (ashy gray) but only moderately distinct, and with a faint gray submedian stripe. The disc of the scutum is slightly brownish and pruinose. The scutellum has a black disc and a yellow margin which is broadly yellow. The pleurae are shining greenish black, and there is an oval yellow spot on the meso-pleurae, as well as a smaller and more whitish one below it, narrowly separated. …
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Every page naming Toxomerus geminatus in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 126532.