Aquatic Invertebrates
Media
Species Types
Scientific Name
About 100 species in North America north of Mexico
Description
Riffle beetles live underwater, in shallow, swift-flowing streams, as both adults and larvae. The adults, the size of small ants, are oval with long legs. The larvae are elongated, multi-segmented, and rather hard and stiff; they reach about ½ inch long.
Media
Species Types
Scientific Name
About 100 species in North America north of Mexico
Description
Riffle beetles live underwater, in shallow, swift-flowing streams, as both adults and larvae. The larvae are elongated, multi-segmented, and rather hard and stiff; they reach about ½ inch long. The adults, the size of small ants, are oval with long legs.
Media
Species Types
Scientific Name
Corbicula fluminea
Description
The Asian clam is a nonnative, invasive species that lives in a variety of aquatic habitats. It has thick shells with distinctly ridged, concentric rings and a yellowish-brown to dark brown shell covering.
See Also
About Aquatic Invertebrates in Missouri
Missouri's streams, lakes, and other aquatic habitats hold thousands of kinds of invertebrates — worms, freshwater mussels, snails, crayfish, insects, and other animals without backbones. These creatures are vital links in the aquatic food chain, and their presence and numbers tell us a lot about water quality.