Field Guide

The Arkansas brokenray only occurs in streams that flow south off of the Salem and Springfield plateaus, so it is found only in about the southern quarter of Missouri.

Like the pink heelsplitter and fragile and pink papershells, the bluefer uses freshwater drum as a host.

Bryozoans are tiny, filter-feeding invertebrates. They create colonies that can be mossy, branching, or round and jellylike.

The calico crayfish is rather plain: gray-green with a pale central zone along the middle of the carapace and abdomen. The pincers are orange-tipped, and in mature males are tinged with purple. It is usually only found in the northern half of the state.

A common mussel in some areas, deertoe have decorative green markings.

Today found only in the Meramec River, the elephantear has been classified as Endangered in Missouri and is a candidate for federal Endangered status.

The elktoe is one of many Missouri mussels with a declining population.

These small mussels use darters, a type of fish, as hosts for their young.

A widespread mussel that relies on freshwater drum as host fish for the developing young.