 "D. anilis" adults are medium-sized, ranging in overall length from 7–14 mm, but are typically 12 mm long.Their coloration is light-brown and orange with large red eyes.Generally, the species can be separated from other species of "Dryomyzidae" by their nearly-bare arista (apical bristle), covered lunule (a crescent-shaped mark, found around the wing margins), and developed prostigmatic and prescutellar bristles.