Field Guide

Aquatic Invertebrates

Showing 1 - 10 of 29 results
Two pairs of Asian clam shells, still hinged together, showing exterior and interior
Asian Clam
Corbicula fluminea
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.
fatmucket
Fatmucket
Lampsilis siliquoidea
The fatmucket was a favorite species harvested for the button industry in the early 1900s.
maple leaf
Mapleleaf
Quadrula quadrula
The mapleleaf spawns in the summer, using catfish as a host.
paper pondshell
Paper Pondshell (Paper Floater)
Utterbackia imbecillis
Unlike most other freshwater mussels, this species is hermaphrodic: An individual mussel can be both male and female.
pond mussel
Pond Mussel
Ligumia subrostrata
This widespread species is one of the few Missouri mussels successful in shallow ponds and lakes.
yellow sandshell
Yellow Sandshell
Lampsilis teres
The uniform shell thickness and hard, white nacre made this mussel a favorite for button manufacturing, in the days before most buttons were made of plastic.
Photo of a collared water scavenger beetle showing back.
Water Scavenger Beetles
Beetles in the family Hydrophilidae
Water scavenger beetles are a mostly aquatic family. They are similar to predaceous diving beetles, but unlike them many have a distinctive spine running down the center of their bellies.
Photo of crane fly larva
Crane Fly Larvae
There are over 500 species of crane flies in North America.
Crane fly larvae are tan or gray grubs that live in aquatic habitats or in moist places on the ground. The harmless adults resemble huge mosquitoes.
Photo of a deer fly larva, probably in a petri dish, on a gray background.
Horse and Deer Fly Larvae
Tabanus, Chrysops, and related genera
The larvae of horse and deer flies are fairly straight, segmented, wormlike maggots that are tan, whitish, or brownish. They are aquatic or live in mud, and most are predaceous.
Photo of a fishfly larva crawling among rocks in an aquarium.
Fishfly Larvae
Chauliodes, Neohermes, and Nigronia spp. (in eastern US)
Fishfly larvae look a lot like their cousins the hellgrammites, but they lack cottony or hairy gill tufts along the abdomen, and they have 2 short, fleshy tails at the hind tip.
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.