Field Guide

Land Invertebrates

Showing 1 - 10 of 27 results
Photo of a meloe blister beetle, female, on ground
Blister Beetles
More than 400 species in North America north of Mexico
The name is a warning: blister beetles are famous for their chemical defenses. Beetles in this family can exude an oil that can cause a person’s skin to blister.
Image of Tomentose Burying Beetle crawling on the ground
Carrion Beetles (Burying Beetles)
Nicrophorus, Necrophila, Necrodes, and others
Beetles in the family Silphidae are called carrion beetles, burying beetles, and sexton beetles. They are usually black and often have red, orange, or yellow markings. Members of this group eat dead animals or scavenge dung or decaying plant material.
Click beetle resting on a brick wall
Click Beetles
Approximately 1,000 species in North America
Their streamlined shape is distinctive, but the behavior of click beetles is even more unique: Placed on their backs, these beetles flip suddenly into the air with an audible click.
Convergent lady beetle crawling on a leaf
Convergent Lady Beetle
Hippodamia convergens
One of our many native lady beetles, the convergent lady beetle is named for two short white lines on the black pronotum (shoulderlike section behind the head) that converge toward each other.
Delta flower scarab clinging to flower
Delta Flower Scarab
Trigonopeltastes delta
The delta flower scarab got its name from the bright yellow triangle on its pronotum. It commonly visits a variety of flowers in prairies, old fields, and other open areas.
Dogbane beetle resting on a window
Dogbane Beetle
Chrysochus auratus
The shiny, iridescent dogbane beetle is one of Missouri's most beautiful insects. As the name indicates, this beautiful beetle feeds on dogbanes.
Dung beetle rolling a dung ball
Dung Beetles (Tumblebugs)
Subfamilies Scarabaeinae and Aphodiinae
Horses, cattle, dogs, and deer all drop manna from above to eager dung beetles, which collect, hoard, and guard the precious organic materials left undigested in the pile.
Elm borer beetle resting on rocks in a flower planter
Elm Borer
Saperda tridentata
The elm borer is a longhorned beetle whose larvae bore galleries under the bark of elm trees. The orangish markings on the adults are distinctive.
image of Firefly crawling on a leaf
Fireflies (Lightning Bugs)
Approx. 175 species in North America north of Mexico
Fireflies are amazing beetles that use “cold light” (bioluminescence) to attract mates. They are commonly seen as they fly and glow in summer evenings.
Golden tortoise beetle on a leaf
Golden Tortoise Beetle
Charidotella sexpunctata
The golden tortoise beetle is shiny metallic gold or orange, and the edges of the elytral shields are transparent. It eats plants in the morning glory family.
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.