Field Guide

Aquatic Invertebrates

Showing 11 - 20 of 23 results
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.
white heelsplitter
White Heelsplitter
Lasmigona complanata
The shell of this mollusk is large and impressive in overall size. Although fairly flat, it can be more than 8 inches long. A large wing on the heelsplitter can be painful if you step on it.
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.
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.
Photo of a leech
Leeches
Various species in the subclass Hirudinea
Most people are repulsed by leeches. But once you get past the fact that many species are parasitic bloodsuckers, you will discover that they are fascinating creatures with an important role in nature.
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 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.
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.
Photo of hellgrammite
Hellgrammite
Corydalus cornutus
Hellgrammites are the aquatic larval form of eastern dobsonflies. They are fiercely predaceous and look a little like centipedes. Anglers often use them as bait.
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.