Summary[edit] Description: English: Ptiolina sp. on moss. Frame from video (see below). Date: 12 June 2012. Source: Own work. Author: Pristurus. Other versions: File:Ptiolina sp - ovipostion.ogv.
Female Snipe Fly (Chrysopilus fasciatus) - Suburban New Jersey, 25 miles west of "The City" (NYC) With no gold back and the single dark spots and amber tint on the leading edge of the wings, I'm pretty sure that this girthy fem is Chrysopilus fasciatus, but (as always) confirmation and/or other opinions are always welcome. Notice how this guy is holding the crossed blades of grass together with it's middle legs, so I have to give partial credit for the clarity of this image to the fly for creating an inflexible triangle that held her steady for the capture. Perhaps these guys are smarter than we think, 'cause they are (after all) predators which also takes some smarts!Confirmed ID on BugGuide
Summary[edit] Description: English: Chrysopilus thoracicus (Fabricius, 1805) - gold-backed snipe flies in Virginia, USA. (12 May 2016) This species of fly is remarkable for having intensely lustrous, golden-yellow hairs on the dorsal thorax. The individuals shown above are mating - the female is the upper fly (with eyes set apart) and the male is the lower fly (with eyes barely touching each other). Classification: Animalia, Arthropoda, Insecta, Diptera, Rhagionidae Locality: near the entrance of Skyline Caverns, near the town of Front Royal, central Warren County, northern Virginia, USA See info. at: www.mlbs.virginia.edu/organism/chrysopilus_thoracicus and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysopilus. Date: 12 May 2016, 11:54:31. Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/47445767@N05/27909373705/. Author: James St. John.