My Recent Observation: The Calligrapher Fly

Hello everyone! On my short morning walk after helping my dad lift his heavy bag to board public transport, I made a new observation. This is one of three insects I was able to photograph.

I saw this guy moving around after leaving a flower. It took a while before it finally landed on a leaf, and it was like it was running away from its fellow Calligrapher fly. It flew away just as I was getting a close shot, and by the time its fellow fly got close, it was gone again, until they both went away.

Here are a couple of shots I was able to get:

Calligrapher Fly on a leaf

Calligrapher Fly

Scientific Classification

According to my observation on iNaturalist and a quick search on Wikipedia, here is the scientific classification for this insect:

Classification	Taxon
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Arthropoda
Class	Insecta
Order	Diptera
Family	Syrphidae
Genus	Toxomerus
Species	T. marginatus (Say, 1823)

Observation Details

Here are some key details about the observation from my iNaturalist post:

Detail	Value
Observation Name	Calligrapher Flies (Genus Toxomerus)
Observed By	dreeyor
Location	Lagos, Nigeria
Date & Time	2025-08-11 09:05 AM WAT
ISO	135

A Short Description

This insect is known as a Calligrapher Fly, a type of hoverfly. It belongs to the genus Toxomerus, and the species is Toxomerus marginatus. These flies are often known for their yellow and black markings, which can sometimes resemble wasps, though they are completely harmless.

I hope you enjoyed this look at some of the small life I encountered today!

You can view the full observation here: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/305479937