Field Guide

Land Invertebrates

Showing 1 - 10 of 37 results
Andrenid or miner bee collecting pollen on a flower
Andrenid Bees (Miner Bees)
More than 1,200 species in North America north of Mexico
Andrenid bees, also called mining bees, are solitary ground-nesters. Most are specialist pollinators whose life cycle is timed to correspond precisely to the blooming of specific flowers.
Acrobat ants on a leaf
Ants
More than 700 species in North America
Ants are everywhere! They outnumber us a million to one. These colonial insects are familiar to everyone on Earth. Their lives are endlessly fascinating.
Longhorn bee visiting a flower, viewed from side
Apid Bees
About 1,000 species in North America north of Mexico
Many apid bees are well-known. This family includes the familiar honeybee, bumblebees, and carpenter bees, plus many that are less well-known. With few exceptions, most of Missouri's apid bees are native, solitary species.
Female spider wasp grasping and dragging body of sac spider
Auplopus Spider Wasps
Auplopus spp.
There are 10 species of spider wasps in genus Auplopus in North America north of Mexico. They often snip off the legs of the spiders they capture, which makes them easier to move around.
image of Bee Fly on leaf
Bee Flies
About 800 species in North America
Resembling bees, or sometimes big, fuzzy mosquitoes, bee flies are a family of true flies and are not bees at all. Lacking the ability to sting, their bee mimicry helps them avoid many would-be predators.
image of Black Giant Ichneumon Wasp on tree trunk
Black Giant Ichneumon Wasp
Megarhyssa atrata
The female black giant ichneumon wasp deposits her eggs through wood. The larvae eat the grubs of wood-boring insects.
Black-and-gold bumble bee visiting wild bergamot flowerhead
Black-And-Gold Bumble Bee
Bombus auricomus
The black-and-gold bumble bee is associated with prairies and other grasslands. It is one of several species of bumble bees that occur in Missouri.
Blue-winged scoliid wasp taking nectar on English ivy flowers
Blue-Winged Wasp
Scolia dubia
The blue-winged wasp is a common Missouri species of scoliid wasp. The abdomen has a distinctive fuzzy, rich rusty patch with two ovals of yellow. Its larvae eat Japanese beetle grubs and other scarab beetle larvae.
photo of bumblebee on a wild rose flower
Bumble Bees
Bombus spp.
Bumble bees are like huge honey bees: They are yellow and black, collect pollen and nectar, live in colonies, and make honey. They are capable of stinging, if molested or if their nest is endangered, but you need not fear them; they are not aggressive.
Wood cockroach crawling on tree
Cockroaches and Termites
About 100 species of cockroaches and termites in North America north of Mexico
Cockroaches well-known: they are flattened, small, brown or black, often shiny insects that can hide in tight crevices and lack specialized appendages. Recently, termites have been included in their order.
See Also
Photo of a Yellow-Collared Scape Moth
Yellow-Collared Scape Moth
Cisseps fulvicollis
The yellow-collared scape moth is more often “orange-collared.” And whether you think it looks more like a firefly or a wasp, it’s still a moth!
image of Plume Moth on blade of grass
Plume Moths
Nearly 150 species in North America north of Mexico
Slim, delicate plume moths are instantly recognizable by their T-shaped silhouette, long legs, and muted shades of tan and brown. It can be hard to separate the various species.
Photo of an Isabella Tiger Moth
Isabella Tiger Moth (Woolly Bear; Woolly Worm)
Pyrrharctia isabella
Not many people know the adult Isabella tiger moth when they see one, but we’re all acquainted with its caterpillar, the woolly worm, or woolly bear.

About Land Invertebrates in Missouri

Invertebrates are animals without backbones, including earthworms, slugs, snails, and arthropods. Arthropods—invertebrates with “jointed legs” — are a group of invertebrates that includes crayfish, shrimp, millipedes, centipedes, mites, spiders, and insects. There may be as many as 10 million species of insects alive on earth today, and they probably constitute more than 90 percent all animal species.