Field Guide

Aquatic Invertebrates

Showing 1 - 10 of 21 results
Photo of a devil crayfish.
Devil Crayfish
Lacunicambarus aff. diogenes (syn. Cambarus diogenes)
The powerfully built devil crayfish is usually a uniform olive or tan, without obvious blotches or spots. It digs underground burrows, often with mud chimneys, and has a wide distribution.
fatmucket
Fatmucket
Lampsilis siliquoidea
The fatmucket was a favorite species harvested for the button industry in the early 1900s.
butterfly
Butterfly
Ellipsaria lineolata
The butterfly is one of the most beautiful of Missouri’s mussels.
fragile papershell
Fragile Papershell
Leptodea fragilis
A widespread mussel that relies on freshwater drum as host fish for the developing young.
maple leaf
Mapleleaf
Quadrula quadrula
The mapleleaf spawns in the summer, using catfish as a host.
mucket
Mucket
Actinonaias ligamentina
One of the most widespread and numerous mussels in southern Missouri.
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.
pimpleback
Pimpleback
Quadrula pustulosa
While the pimpleback is usually bumpy, some individuals are perfectly smooth.
plain pocketbook
Plain Pocketbook
Lampsilis cardium
The plain pocketbook is one of the most common and widespread mussels in our state. It is oval, relatively large, and occurs frequently.
pond mussel
Pond Mussel
Ligumia subrostrata
This widespread species is one of the few Missouri mussels successful in shallow ponds and lakes.
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.