Field Guide

Land Invertebrates

Showing 1 - 6 of 6 results
Photo of a spotted fishing spider and several water springtails at the surface of shallow water
Spotted Fishing Spider
Dolomedes triton
The spotted fishing spider lives around ponds, slow-moving streams, swampy areas, and other damp places. It can run across the surface of water much like water striders and will dive for prey, including small tadpoles or aquatic insects.
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.
Elongate-bodied springtail on a brown leaf
Springtails
More than 8,000 species globally
Springtails, like insects, have six legs, but these tiny rounded, oval, or elongated creatures that hop quickly into the air are not insects. They have a separate lineage and many structural differences.
A darkling beetle, genus Asiopus, walking on a white-painted wall
Darkling Beetles (Tenebrionids)
About 1,200 species in North America north of Mexico
Darkling beetles are a very large family of beetles. Most are dull black or brown, crawl on the ground, and are scavengers. Many of them resemble what you might call a “base-model” beetle.
Rove beetle, Platydracus sp., viewed from above
Rove Beetles (Staphylinids)
More than 4,400 species in North America north of Mexico
Rove beetles usually have very short wing covers, so several of their hind abdominal segments are exposed. Typically fast movers, they often flip up their abdomen tips when frightened. This is a huge family of beetles.
Photo of a land snail crawling on a rock.
Land Snails and Slugs
Approx. 150 species of land snails and slugs in Missouri
Most people know land snails and slugs when they see these interesting animals. Missouri has about 150 species in 25 families.
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.