Aquatic Invertebrates
Media
![scaleshell](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2010/06/scaleshell.jpg?itok=1uJowMCM)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Leptodea leptodon
Description
Rarely seen, this endangered freshwater mussel has a thin and delicate shell that is strikingly beautiful inside.
Media
![Snuffbox](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2010/06/snuffbox.jpg?itok=n3A04tp2)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Epioblasma triquetra
Description
The snuffbox has been classified as endangered in Missouri and is a candidate for federal endangered status. Perhaps it should also be a candidate for a new common name, since the popularity of snuff-taking is long past.
Media
![Spectaclecase](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2010/06/spectacle_case.jpg?itok=xiZ39inu)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Cumberlandia monodonta
Description
Missouri may have the largest number of spectaclecase mussels left in the world. These elongated shellfish can live for 60 years or more.
Media
![threehorn wartyback](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2010/06/three_horn_wartyback.jpg?itok=IhfvG-mg)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Obliquaria reflexa
Description
Among all the mussels of Missouri, this is perhaps the easiest to recognize: As the shell grows, large knobs are produced, first on one shell and then on the other, in an alternating pattern.
Media
![threeridge](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2010/06/threeridge.jpg?itok=il-9L5vA)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Amblema plicata
Description
Sometimes called the blue-point, this mussel species is widely distributed in Missouri rivers and is occasionally found along reservoir margins.
Media
![wabash pigtoe](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2010/06/wabash_pigtoe.jpg?itok=nCj8HKYE)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Fusconaia flava
Description
A widespread mussel that releases its larvae in tiny red packages to attract fish hosts.
Media
![wartyback](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2010/06/wartyback.jpg?itok=CSMYuHcM)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Quadrula nodulata
Description
This favored habitat of this vulnerable species is large streams or rivers in firm sand and mud. The bumps on the shell may help to anchor it in the river bottom.
Media
![white heelsplitter](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2010/06/white_heelsplitter.jpg?itok=ZFPjzKpB)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Lasmigona complanata
Description
The shell of this mollusk is large and impressive in overall size. Although fairly flat, it can be more than 8 inches long. A large wing on the heelsplitter can be painful if you step on it.
Media
![yellow sandshell](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2010/06/yellow_sandshell.jpg?itok=-dlWewj7)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Lampsilis teres
Description
The uniform shell thickness and hard, white nacre made this mussel a favorite for button manufacturing, in the days before most buttons were made of plastic.
Media
![Photo of a longpincered crayfish.](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2010/05/long-pincered_crayfish.jpg?itok=CxhL21Pw)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Faxonius longidigitus (formerly Orconectes longidigitus)
Description
The longpincered crayfish is large and colorful, with very long, slender, blue-green pincers that are studded with prominent yellowish knobs. It is restricted to the White River basin in the Ozarks.
See Also
About Aquatic Invertebrates in Missouri
Missouri's streams, lakes, and other aquatic habitats hold thousands of kinds of invertebrates — worms, freshwater mussels, snails, crayfish, insects, and other animals without backbones. These creatures are vital links in the aquatic food chain, and their presence and numbers tell us a lot about water quality.