Field Guide

Land Invertebrates

Showing 1 - 10 of 21 results
Green June beetle on goldenrod
Green June Beetle
Cotinis nitida
The green June beetle is a common type of scarab beetle in Missouri. These large, metallic green beetles buzz loudly when they fly. They are attracted to ripe and rotting fruit and compost piles.
Two Asian lady beetles, one orange with several black spots, the other red with no spots
Asian Lady Beetle
Harmonia axyridis
The multicolored Asian lady beetle was imported to America to help control aphids. It is now well established and has become a nuisance, especially in fall when large numbers of them enter homes for shelter.
Seven-spotted lady beetle on a flower
Lady Beetles (Ladybird Beetles; Ladybugs)
Nearly 500 species in North America north of Mexico
Lady beetles are beloved for many reasons. Farmers like the way they devour injurious aphids and scale insects. Everyone else appreciates their bright colors and shiny, compact bodies.
V-marked lady beetle crawling on a flower
V-Marked Lady Beetle
Neoharmonia venusta
The V-marked lady beetle, one of our many native lady beetles, is very attractive. The pattern and coloration can vary greatly among individuals, but most in this species have a V on the back.
Ninebark calligraphy beetle on cluster of ninebark flower buds
Ninebark Calligraphy Beetle
Calligrapha spiraea
The ninebark calligraphy beetle is one of nearly 40 North American calligraphy beetles, named for the scrawly markings on their backs. Most calligraphy beetles require particular host plants.
Flat-faced longhorn beetle crawling on wood
Four-Humped Flat-Faced Longhorn
Acanthoderes quadrigibba
The four-humped flat-faced longhorn has no true common name, but its markings are distinctive. It plays an important role in breaking down rotten wood and enriching soils.
Ivory-marked beetle crawling on bark
Ivory-Marked Beetle
Eburia quadrigeminata
The ivory-marked beetle is a longhorned beetle whose larvae bore deep into the heartwood of a variety of deciduous trees, including oak, hickory, maple, cherry, ash, elm, and more. It can live for 40 years.
image of Rhubarb Weevils mating
Rhubarb Weevil
Lixus concavus
The rhubarb weevil has a dusty, bright yellow coating and feeds on rhubarb, dock, thistles, and other plants in the smartweed or buckwheat and sunflower families.
image of Six-Spotted Tiger Beetle crawling on dead leaves
Tiger Beetles
Subfamily Cicindelinae (about 100 species in North America)
Dizzyingly fast runners and fliers, tiger beetles are remarkable, and often very colorful, insect predators.
Swamp milkweed leaf beetle on a leaf it has chewed on.
Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle
Labidomera clivicollis
The swamp milkweed leaf beetle is found on the various milkweeds it eats, often in grassy areas or on roadsides. The exact pattern of orange and black varies among individuals.
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.