Chrysopilus cristatus
Chrysopilus cristatus is a rather small fly, measuring about 7 millimeters. When the light is right the wings look like they are made of fine gold. The male is not as well marked as the female and much darker. The female can be told apart from females of other similar species by looking at the exact situation of the black spot in the wings. Also her thorax is characteristic. In the middle is a broad grey arae and exactly in the middle is a thin black line. The animal in the picture is a female. Chrysopilus cristatus hunts for other smaller flies. The larvae live in rotting wood. The flies are seen from May to August and prefer rather humid woodlands.
This species is also known as Chrysopilus auratus.
