Field Guide

Aquatic Invertebrates

Showing 1 - 7 of 7 results
Photo of a painted devil crayfish standing on a sandy substrate
Painted Devil Crayfish
Lacunicambarus ludovicianus (syn. Cambarus ludovicianus)
The painted devil crayfish is a burrowing lowland species. In Missouri, it is known from only a few locations in the Bootheel. Its overall color is olive green to blue, with reddish and cream markings.
Photo of a paintedhand mudbug carefully arranged against a black background
Paintedhand Mudbug
Lacunicambarus polychromatus (syn. Cambarus polychromatus)
The paintedhand mudbug is a burrowing crayfish known in Missouri from only a few locations along the eastern border of the Bootheel. It is tan to olive green, and the abdominal segments and tail fan are trimmed with red. The pincers have red spots and red tips.
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.
Photo of a red swamp crawfish or crayfish.
Red Swamp Crawfish
Procambarus clarkii
Adult red swamp crawfish are dark red (nearly black on the carapace) and have a wedge-shaped black stripe on the abdomen. Juveniles are a uniform gray, sometimes overlain by dark wavy lines. In Missouri it lives in the Bootheel.
Photo of a shrimp crayfish.
Shrimp Crayfish
Faxonius lancifer (formerly Orconectes lancifer)
The shrimp crayfish is medium-small, light reddish brown to gray, and thickly dusted with darker specks. Its noselike rostrum is unusually long, with the tip longer than the base, and the pincers are narrow and weak. It is found in the Bootheel.
Photo of an Ohio shrimp with small grayish pincers in the foreground.
Ohio Shrimp
Macrobrachium ohione
Of Missouri’s two species of freshwater shrimp, the Ohio River shrimp is certainly the rarest. It was thought to be extirpated from our state but was rediscovered recently in the Mississippi River.
Photo of a spothanded crayfish viewed from above on white background.
Crayfishes
About 38 species in Missouri
Crayfish are freshwater aquatic invertebrates that look a lot like small lobsters, to which they are related. There are about 38 species of crayfish in Missouri.
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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.