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Content tagged with "Insects, Spiders and Kin"

Mosquitoes

image of Mosquito
There are about 50 species of mosquitoes in our state.
Who likes mosquitoes? Certainly not people! However, mosquitoes have lived on Earth for millions of years, and all that time they’ve been feeding fish with their legions of “wriggler” larvae. More

Mud Daubers

image of Black-and-Yellow Mud Dauber
Three genera: Sceliphron, Trypoxylon and Chalybion
Mud daubers are among the most familiar solitary wasps. They belong to a number of related groups, but we call them all "mud daubers" because they all build their nests out of mud. One way to tell the different mud daubers apart is by the distinctive "architecture" they use. More

Orchard Orb Weaver

orchard orb weaver
Leucauge venusta
These colorful, delicate spiders make circular webs that are usually positioned horizontally or at an angle to the ground, and they typically hang in the middle of their webs. More

Paper Wasps

image of Paper Wasp on flowers
Species in the genus Polistes
Paper wasps are the most familiar of Missouri's social wasps. A late summer nest bristling with dozens of wasps can be an impressive sight. If you have a garden, however, these wasps are your friends! More

Periodical Cicadas

Periodical Cicadas
Species in the genus Magicicada
Among the most remarkable insects in Missouri, periodical cicadas live as nymphs for 13–17 years underground, and then emerge simultaneously to metamorphose into their adult form. Tremendous numbers of periodical cicadas, calling all at once, are a memorable event. More

Predaceous Diving Beetles (Water Tigers)

Photo of a predaceous diving beetle
Species in the beetle family Dytiscidae
Like many aquatic insects, these large oval beetles prey voraciously on other aquatic organisms. Excellent swimmers, they fly well, too, and are often attracted to lights. More

Pseudoscorpions

Image of a pseudoscorpion.
Various species in the order Pseudoscorpionida
These unusual little arachnids, which look something like tiny scorpions but with a rounded (and nonvenomous) hind end, are often overlooked but are filled with biological curiosity. Learn more about these helpful animals. More

Red-Legged Grasshopper

Image of a red-legged grasshopper.
Melanoplus femurrubrum
These small, red-legged grasshoppers are an important food for Missouri’s wild game birds. More

Ridge-Faced Flower Spider

Misumenoides formosipes
This small, whitish-yellow or yellowish-brown crab spider is commonly found in flower heads. Often its carapace is slightly greenish, with a broad whitish-yellow midband bordered by darker, thinner sides of yellowish-brown. More

Sand Wasps

image of Sand Wasp perched on sand
Numerous species and genera in Missouri
Many species and genera of sand wasps occur in Missouri. They nest in the ground during summer. They are found in many habitats but most often in open, sandy areas along rivers. More
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