Aquatic Invertebrates
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Species Types
Scientific Name
About 32 North American species in the family Notonectidae
Description
Sometimes called “water bees” or “water wasps,” backswimmers are predaceous and can deliver a painful bite if mishandled. True to their name, they swim belly-up, and their backs are keeled like a boat, which makes back-swimming easier.
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.
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.