Field Guide

Land Invertebrates

Showing 81 - 90 of 166 results
striped bark scorpion on a rock
Striped Bark Scorpion
Centruroides vittatus
Striped bark scorpions are pale yellowish brown, usually with two lengthwise dark stripes on the abdomen. It is the only species of scorpion in Missouri. It occurs in glades and other dry, warm, rocky areas, and sometimes in buildings and shelters and under piles of wood, brush, or garbage.
Photo of a female scorpionfly perched on a leaf.
Common Scorpionflies
Panorpa spp.
Male scorpionflies will make you look twice, because the abdomen is tipped with what looks like a scorpion stinger! These nifty insects cannot sting, however.
image of greenbottle fly on carcass
Blow Flies (Bottle Flies)
About 84 species in North America.
Many blow flies are so shiny and colorful they’re called greenbottles and bluebottles. But pretty as they are, it’s hard not to be repulsed by their larval diets.
image of a Stilt-Legged Fly on a leaf
Stilt-Legged Flies
About 30 species in North America north of Mexico
Stilt-legged flies are a family of true flies. They are harmless, but most species resemble ichneumon wasps or ants. The middle and back pairs of legs are exceptionally long and thin, while the front pair of legs are much shorter.
image of a Tree Cricket on a flower
Tree Crickets
About 20 species in North America in subfamily Oecanthinae
Tree crickets, or pale bush crickets, are a subfamily of crickets that are little seen but often heard. True to their name, instead of living on the ground, they live in trees, bushes, and tall herbaceous plants.
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.
Female straight-lanced meadow katydid resting on a leaf, viewed from side
Straight-Lanced Meadow Katydid
Conocephalus strictus
The straight-lanced meadow katydid is common in pastures, roadsides, and crop lands. The female's swordlike ovipositor is longer than the rest of her body. The male's song is a relatively soft buzz that sometimes breaks into a series of rapid, skipping tics.
Pink katydid standing on a milkweed leaf
Oblong-Winged Katydid
Amblycorypha oblongifolia
The oblong-winged katydid is one of many species in the katydid family. Although it is usually green in most places, some populations made up of pink-form individuals.
Lesser angle-winged katydid resting on the ground
Lesser Angle-Winged Katydid
Microcentrum retinerve
The lesser angle-winged katydid is one of our common species of so-called false katydids. Its song is a single 3-5-pulsed rattle, with about a second of silence between each rattle.
Female Carolina mantis
Mantids (Mantises)
Stagomantis carolina, Mantis religiosa, and Tenodera sinensis
Most people recognize mantids, or mantises, when they see them, but it takes more practice to distinguish among the different species of these efficient insect predators.
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.