Chrysanthrax cypris is approximately .5 inch (13 mm) long. It has very large reddish-brown eyes. There is a ruff of yellow-orange hair behind the head. The thorax has short dark brown hairs. The abdomen has golden-tan hairs. The wings are bicolored dark brown basally and clear on the outer half of the wing. This fly was identified by volunteer experts at the BugGuide website.
The frequency of occurrence at Fontenelle Forest and Neale Woods is not known. The individual shown here was photographed on Snow on the Mountain flowers at Neale Woods in early August.
This bee fly is in the Tribe Villini whose members are endoparasitoids. There are 21 species in the genus Chrysanthrax in North America.
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