Field Guide

Land Invertebrates

Showing 41 - 50 of 76 results
Photo of a Harvestman, viewed from above
Daddy Longlegs (Harvestmen)
About 6,500 species have been named so far, worldwide.
Daddy longlegs, or harvestmen, are familiar Missouri animals. They are not spiders, but opilionids. Unlike spiders, they have a fused body form and lack silk and venom glands.
Photo of a sowbug (left) and pillbug (right).
Pillbugs and Sowbugs (Land Isopods)
Land-dwelling members of the crustacean order Isopoda
Pillbugs, roly-polies, woodlice, and sowbugs — the terrestrial members of order Isopoda are familiar to anyone who has overturned a rock. But what do you really know about them?
Lace bugs on a leaf
Lace Bugs
About 165 species in North American north of Mexico
Grayish, small, flattened, and rectangular, lace bugs have a lacy network of ridges on the wings and body. They suck nutrients from foliage with their beaks. The resulting pale spots on leaves might be the first sign of their presence.
Peacock fly resting on a thistle leaf
Peacock Flies (Tephritid Fruit Flies)
About 300 species in North America north of Mexico
Tephretid fruit flies, in the family Tephritidae, are often called peacock flies for the intricately patterned, often brightly colored wings of many species.
image of Xystodesmid Millipede crawling on a forest floor
Xystodesmid Millipedes
8 tribes, with about 23 genera, in North America north of Mexico
Millipedes in family Xystodesmidae often have bright colors that serve as a warning to potential predators that they may secrete foul or toxic substances.
Photo of an adult two-lined spittlebug on a leaf
Two-Lined Spittlebug
Prosapia bicincta
The two-lined spittlebug is a common member of the froghopper family. The two lines may be red, orange, or yellow. Some individuals are all black, except for the red eyes.
Dogwood spittlebug resting on the edge of a leaf
Dogwood Spittlebug
Clastoptera proteus
The adult dogwood spittlebug has distinctive black and yellow markings. It feeds on dogwoods, blueberries, and their relatives.
Photo of a female arabesque orbweaver spider
Arabesque Orbweaver
Neoscona arabesca
The arabesque orbweaver is a common orb-weaving spider in Missouri. The coloration is quite variable, but the slanting dark marks on the abdomen help to identify it.
Citrus flatid planthopper on twig
Citrus Flatid Planthopper
Metcalfa pruinosa
The citrus flatid planthopper has a waxy coating and can look gray or tan. It eats a wide variety of plants.
Photo of a female openfield orbweaver spider crouching on a plant stalk
Openfield Orbweaver
Araneus pratensis
The openfield orbweaver is a common nocturnal orb-weaving spider in Missouri.
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.