Field Guide

Aquatic Invertebrates

Showing 1 - 10 of 39 results
Bluefer
Bluefer (Purpleshell)
Potamilus purpuratus
Like the pink heelsplitter and fragile and pink papershells, the bluefer uses freshwater drum as a host.
Gray, speckled, translucent gelatinous blob cut in half to show structure
Bryozoans (Moss Animals)
Freshwater species in the phylum Bryozoa
Bryozoans are tiny, filter-feeding invertebrates. They create colonies that can be mossy, branching, or round and jellylike.
Photo of a spothanded crayfish viewed from above on white background.
Crayfishes
About 36 species in Missouri
Crayfish are freshwater aquatic invertebrates that look a lot like small lobsters, to which they are related. There are about 36 species of crayfish in Missouri.
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.
Photograph of Ebonyshell freshwater mussel shell exterior view
Ebonyshell
Fusconaia ebena
At one time the most valuable shell to the commercial button industry, the ebonyshell is now classified as Endangered in Missouri and is a candidate for federal Endangered status.
fatmucket
Fatmucket
Lampsilis siliquoidea
The fatmucket was a favorite species harvested for the button industry in the early 1900s.
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.
fragile papershell
Fragile Papershell
Leptodea fragilis
A widespread mussel that relies on freshwater drum as host fish for the developing young.
pond mussel
Freshwater Mussels
Bivalve molluscs in order Unionoida
Secretive and seldom seen, freshwater mussels are extraordinarily diverse in Missouri. We have nearly 70 species within our borders. Many are declining, and several are endangered.
giant floater
Giant Floater
Pygandon grandis
When a floater dies, this large mussel with a thick shell will actually rise to the water surface and float as it decays.
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.