Field Guide

Land Invertebrates

Showing 11 - 20 of 21 results
Photo of an orchard orbweaver with a black background
Orchard Orbweaver
Leucauge venusta
The orchard orbweaver is a small, colorful, greenish, delicate spider that makes circular webs in low bushes and damp woodlands. It typically hangs in the middle of its web, its back to the ground.
Asian longhorned beetle male, specimen
Asian Longhorned Beetle
Anoplophora glabripennis
An unwanted arrival from Asia that's now living in parts of the United States, the Asian longhorned beetle could destroy millions of acres of American hardwoods. Report any sightings immediately.
Long-legged wasp grasping a wolf spider while clinging to house siding
Entypus Spider Wasps
Entypus aratus, E. unifasciatus, E. fulvicornis, and others
Spider wasps in genus Entypus are bluish black and usually have some amount of amber color on their dark, smoky wings. Some species have bright yellow antennae.
Newly emerged adult pronghorn clubtail dragonfly perched on a grass stem
Pronghorn Clubtail
Phanogomphus graslinellus
The pronghorn clubtail is one of several members of its genus in our area that are generally difficult to identify. Like other dragonflies, it is an aerial predator that hunts insects on the wing.
Male common whitetail dragonfly perched on a twig
Common Whitetail
Plathemis lydia
The common whitetail is a widespread species found across much of North America. Males and females look quite a bit different.
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.
Female Georgia mason bee, covered with yellow pollen, on a yellow flowerhead
Georgia Mason
Osmia georgica
The Georgia mason is one of several species of mason bees in Missouri. Like other megachilid bees, it is a native solitary bee that carries pollen in a special clump of hairs on the underside of the abdomen.
Blue-winged wasp viewed from above, showing wrinkled surface of wings
Scoliid Wasps
About 20 species in North America north of Mexico
Scoliid wasps are a family of beetle hunters. Large, rather hairy wasps, some are handsomely colored. The female digs in soil, finds a scarab beetle grub, and lays an egg on it.
Male blue dasher dragonfly perched on the tip of a twig, with dew on its wings
Blue Dasher
Pachydiplax longipennis
Blue dasher males and females look quite different. Both have a white face, a black abdomen tip, and slanted black and yellow stripes on the thorax. But males are blue and females are striped black and yellow.
Male twelve-spotted skimmer perched on a plant stalk
Twelve-Spotted Skimmer
Libellula pulchella
The twelve-spotted skimmer has twelve brown wing spots. Males, like this one, have eight additional spots that are white. Females lack the white spots.
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.