GLERL/Sea Grant: Great Lakes Water Life Photo Gallery

Ciliophora (ciliates)	Rhizopoda (amoebae)	Porifera (sponges)	Coelenterates (Hydra)
Rotifera (rotifers)	Tardigrada (water bears)	Entoprocta	Ectoprocta (Bryozoans)
Annelids (segmented worms)
Hirundinea (leeches)	Polychaetes		Oligochaetes
Other worms
Nematoda (roundworms)	Nematomorpha (horsehair worms)	Nemertea (ribbon worms)	Platyhelminthes (flatworms)
Arthropods
Acarina (water mites)	Insecta		Collembola (springtails)
Crustacea
Amphipods	Isopods	Mysidacea (opossum shrimp)	Decapods
Anostaca (fairy shrimp)	Cladocera	Copepods	Ostracods (seed shrimp)
Mollusks
Gastropods (snails)		Pelecypods (bivalves)

Species List

Phylum
- Class
  - Order
    - Family
      - Genus
        
        Species Reported Locations**

** Reported locations based on a limited literature search. Codes indicate presence reported but absence of a code should not be interpreted as a species absence.

Annelida
- Clitellata - Hirudinea (leeches) XN ME
  - Arhynchobdellida
    - Erpobdellidae WRL1 SHEO
      - Dina spp. LR HS
        
        D. dubia S
        
        D. parva R
      - Erpobdella spp. WL SHEO
        
        E. punctata W SHEO
      - Nephelopsis sp.
        
        N. obscura W SH
    - Haemopidae
      - Haemopis sp.
        
        H. grandis W HEO
  - Rhynchobdellida
    - Glossiphoniidae XWRLN SHEO
      - Desserobdella sp.
        
        D. phalera O
      - Glossiphonia sp.
        
        G. complanata WR SHEO
      - Helobdella sp. WRLN SHE
        
        H. elongata E
        
        H. fusca E
        
        H. stagnalis WRLN SHE
    - Piscocolidae
      - Piscicola sp. R234 HO
        
        P. geometra R234 O
        
        P. milneri 34 O
        
        P. punctata O
  - Oligochaeta (aquatic earthworms) X EO
    - Branchiobdellida
      - Branchiobdellidae R
    - Lumbriculida
      - Lumbriculidae XWRN12345 SMHEO
        
        Aporrectodea sp.
        
        A. trapezoides W HO
        
        A. tuberculata W O
        
        Eiseniella sp.
        
        E. tetraedra W SE
        
        Lumbriculus sp.
        
        L. terrestris W O
        
        L. variegatus WN SHEO
        
        Stylodrilus sp.
        
        S. heringianus G WRN12345 SM*HEO*
    - Haplotaxida
    - Haplotaxida - Tubificina
  - Polychaeta (paddlefoot worms)

Arthropoda - Chelicerata
- Arachnida - Acarina (water mites) XWR(20spp.) N SMHEO
  - Parasitiformes - Mesostigmata
    - Laelaptidae?
      - Cheiroseius spp. W SEO
      - Gammasodes spp. W S
  - Sarcoptiformes
    - SO Oribatei X
    - Hydrozetidae
      - Hydrozetes sp. R
  - Trombidiformes - Prostigmata
    - Aturidae
      - Aturus spp. W SH
        
        A. nr. deceptor W SH
        
        A. nr. desquamatus W H
      - Elyais spp. W O
    - Axonopsidae
      - Ljania spp. W S
    - Hydrachnidae
      - Hydrachna spp. W H
      - Hydraphantes spp. W H
    - Hygrobatidae
      - Atractides spp. W SH
      - Hygrobates spp. WR SHEO
    - Lebertiidae
      - Lebertia spp. WR SHEO
    - Limnesiidae X
      - Limnesia spp. WR HEO
        
        L. cornuta W H
        
        L. nr. polonica W H
    - Mideopsidae
      - Mideopsis spp. W H
    - Pionidae
      - Forelia spp. W EO
        
        F. cayuga W H
        
        F. nr. onondaga W H
      - Piona sp.
        
        P. rotunda W SHO
    - Sperchonidae
      - Sperchon spp. W SHE
        
        S. mitchelli W S
      - Sperchonopsis spp. WR H
    - Teutoniidae
      - Teutonia spp. W EO
    - Torrenticolidae
      - Torrenticola spp. WR SH
    - Unicolidae X
      - Unionicola sp. R
    - ?
      - Anystis spp. WS
  - Cryptostigmata?

Belba spp. W H
Scapheremaeus spp. W S
Trimalaconothrus spp. W SH
Hydracarina spp. R (13 spp.) XN E
Porohalacarus sp. R

Arthropoda - Crustacea
- Branchiopoda
  - Anostraca (fairy shrimp)
    - Palaemonidae X
  - Diplostraca - Cladocera (waterfleas) See also planktonic cladocera
    - Cercopagidae
      - Bythotrephes sp.
        
        B. cederstroemi E (Exotic - GLANSIS)
      - Cercopagis sp.
        
        Cercopagis pengoi (Exotic - GLANSIS)
    - Chydoridae
      - Alona sp.
        
        A. affinis ME
      - Eurycercus sp.
        
        E. lamellatus ME
      - Leydigia sp.
        
        L. quadrangularis M
    - Daphnidae
      - Daphnia sp.
        
        ephippia S
    - Macrothricidae X
      - Ilyocryptus spp. ME
        
        I. acutifrons M
        
        I. sordidus M
    - Sididae
      - Latona sp.
        
        L. setifera SE
  - Malacostra See also planktonic malacostra
    - Amphipoda M(2spp.)E
      - Crangonyctidae
        
        Crangonyx spp. WRN SHEO
        
        C. gracilis WN SHEO
        
        C. pseudogracilis XWR H
      - Gammaridae (scuds) XWRLN1 SHEO
        
        Gammarus spp. WRLN1 SHEO
        
        G. fasciatus XWRN1 SHEO
        
        G. lacustris WR SHEO
        
        G. pseudolimnaeus XWRL SHEO
        
        G. tigrinus (Exotic - GLANSIS)
        
        Echinogammarus sp.
        
        E. ischnus SMCEO (Exotic - GLANSIS)
      - Pontoporeiidae (Haustoriidae)
        
        Diporeia (Pontoporeia) spp. WN12345 SHEO
        
        D. affinis W SHEO
        
        D. brevicornis S
        
        D. filicornis S
        
        D. hoyi N12345 SHEO*
      - Hyalelidae
        
        Hyallela sp. H
        
        H. azteca XWRLN SHEO
      - Talitridae X
    - Decapoda XWRL SHEO
      - Astacidae (crayfish) XL H
      - Cambaridae (crayfish) WR SHEO
        
        Cambarus spp. W SHE
        
        C. bartoni W SH
        
        C. robustus W HE
        
        Orconectes (Oroconectes) spp. XWR SHEO
        
        O. propinquus WR SHEO
        
        O. virilis WR H
    - Isopoda
      - Ascellidae (aquatic sow bugs) XWRLN1 SHEO
        
        Asellus spp. WRLN SHEO
        
        A. communis S
        
        A. forbesi W SHO
        
        A. intermedius W SHEO
        
        A. racovitzai WN EO
        
        Caecidotea spp. XN1 HEO
        
        C. racovitzai HEO
        
        Lirceus sp. R
        
        L. lineatus XW SHO
    - Mysidacea (opossum shrimp)
      - Mysidae
        
        Mysis sp.
        
        M. diluviana 2345 SO
        
        Hemimysis sp.
        
        H. anomala RN12 MO (Exotic - GLANSIS)
  - Maxillopoda - Copepoda XN S(1spp.)MEO See also planktonic copepods
    - Calanoida SMO
      - Temoridae
        
        Eurytemora sp.
        
        E. affinis MO
    - Cyclopoida
      - Cyclopidae
        
        Acanthocyclops sp.
        
        A. brevispinosus N M
        
        Cyclops spp.
        
        C. bicuspidatus thomasi M
        
        C. vernalis M
        
        Diacyclops sp.
        
        D. nanus N M
        
        Eucyclops sp.
        
        E. nanus N M
        
        Paracyclops sp.
        
        P. chiltoni N M
    - Harpacticoida XNSME
      - Ameiridae
        
        Nitocra spp.
        
        N. hibernica N ME
        
        N. incerta
      - Canthocamptidae
        
        Canthocamptus spp.
        
        C. robertcokeri N M
        
        C. staphylinoides M
        
        Bryocamptus spp.
        
        B. nivalis M
        
        B. vejdovskyi M
      - Cletodidae
        
        Heteropsyllus sp.
        
        H. nunni N M
      - Diosaccidae
        
        Schizopera sp.
        
        S. borutzkyi N M
  - Ostracoda (seed shrimps) XN S(1spp.)ME
    - Podocopida
      - Candonidae
        
        Candona spp. E
      - Cytherideidae
        
        Cytherissa sp.
        
        C. lacustra E

Arthropoda - Hexapoda
- Collembola (springtails) RL SH
  - Poduridae
    - Podura sp. S

Insecta
- Coleoptera (beetles)
  - Chrysomelidae (leaf beetles) XS
    - Donacia sp. X
    - Neohaemonia sp. X
    - Prasocuris sp. X
  - Curculionidae (snout beetles, weevils)
    - Lixus sp. X
  - Dytiscidae (predaceous diving beetles) XW SHEO
    - Bidessus spp. W SHO
    - Celina sp. X
    - Dytiscus sp. X
    - Hydaticus spp. XW E
    - Hydroporus spp. W H
    - Laccophilus spp. XW H
    - Rhantus sp. X
    - Uvarus sp. X
  - Elmidae (riffle beetles) XW SHEO
  - Erirhinidae
  - Gyrinidae (whiligig beetles) XW H
  - Haliplidae (crawling water beetles) XW HE
  - Helophoridae
    - Helophorus sp. X
  - Hydraenidae (minute moss beetles)
    - Anacaena sp. X
    - Cymbiodyta sp. X
    - Hydrochara sp. X
    - Hydraena sp. X
    - Paracymus sp. X
    - Tropisternus sp. X
  - Hydrophilidae (water scavenger beetles) XW EO
  - Limnichidae (minute marsh-loving beetles)
  - Noteridae (burrowing water beetles) X
  - Psephenidae (water pennies) W SHO
  - Sciritidae X
    - Cyphon sp. X
  - Staphylinidae (rove beetles) X
- Diptera UGZ XWRLN12345 SMHEL* (Click link for full list)
- Ephemeroptera (mayflies) XWRLN SHEO (click link for full list)
  - Baetidae XWR SHEO
- Heteroptera (Hemiptera)
  - Belostomatidae (giant water bugs) X S
    - Belostoma sp. X
  - Corixidae (water boatmen) XW SHE
- Hymenoptera
- Lepidoptera
- Megaloptera
- Odonata XW SO (click link for full list)
  - SO- Aniosoptera (dragonflies)
  - SO- Zygoptera (damselflies)
- Plecoptera (stoneflies)
- Trichoptera (caddis flies) XWRLN SHCEO
  - - Brachycentridae
  - Psycomyiidae

Ciliophora (ciliates) X (see also planktonic ciliates)
- Ciliatea
  - Suctorida
    - Acinetidae
      - Acineta sp.
        
        Acineta nitocrae (Exotic - GLANSIS)

Coelenterata (Cnidaria)
- Hydrozoa
  - Hydroida
    - Clavidae
      - Cordylophora sp.
        
        C. caspia SE (Exotic - GLANSIS)
    - Hydridae XWRN123 SHEO
      - Hydra spp. XWRN123 SHEO

Ectoprocta (Bryozoa) XS
- Gymnolaemata
  - Ctenostomata
    - Paludicellidae
      - Paludicella sp.
        
        P. articulata S
      - Pottsiella sp.
        
        P. erecta S

Phylactolaemata

Plumatellida

Cristatellidae

Cristella sp.
- C. mucedo S

Lophopodidae

Lophopodella sp.
- L. carteri S (Exotic - GLANSIS)

Pectinatellidae

Pectinatella sp.
- P. magnifica X S

Plumatellidae

Plumatella sp. S
- P. emarginata S

Entoprocta

Mollusca
- Gastropoda (snails) XWRN12 SM(5spp.)HEO (Click for Full list)
  - Architaenioglossa
    - Viviparidae
  - Basommatophora
    - Ancylidae XR O
    - Lymnaeidae XWR SMHEO
    - Physidae XWRN1 SHEO
    - Planorbidae XWRN SHEO
  - Heterostropha
    - Valvatidae
  - Mesogastropoda (Neotaenioglossa)
    - Bithyniidae X
    - Hydrobiidae XWRN12 SHEO
    - Pleuroceridae XWRN HEO
  - Stylommatophora
    - Succineidae X

Pelecypoda (Bivalvia) (clams) XWRN12345 SMHEO (Click here for a full list)

Prionodesmaceae (Veneroida)

Corbiculidae
Dreisseniidae X12345 SMHEO
Sphaeriidae (Pisidiidae ) (fingernail clams) XWRN12345 SMHEO

Unionoida

Unionidae (freshwater mussels) XWR HCE

Nematoda (roundworms) XWN SMHEO

Nematomorpha (horsehair worms)
- Gordioida
  - Gordea
    - Gordiidae XN M
      - Gordius sp.
        
        G. robustus N M

Nemertea (ribbon worms) W12345 SHEO
- Enopla
  - Hoplonemertea
    - Tetrastemmatidae
      - Prostoma sp.
        
        P. rubrum W SHEO

Platyhelminthes (flatworms)
- Turbellaria XWRN134 S(2 spp.)MHEO
  - Catenulida
    - Stenostomidae X
      - Stenostomum sp. X
  - Neorhabdocoela SE
    - Typhloplanidae
      - Mesostoma sp. S
  - Proseriata
    - Plagiostomidae
      - Hydrolimax
        
        H. grisea (griseus) WN1 EO
  - Tricladida
    - Dugesiidae
      - Cura sp.
        
        C. foremanii N O
    - Planariidae XWN SHEO
      - Dugesia spp
        
        D. polychroa N EO (Exotic - GLANSIS)
        
        D. tigrina WN SHEO
    - Dendrocoelidae
      - Procotyla sp.
        
        P fluviatilis W HEO
    - ?

Microturbellaria spp. N M

? Flukes/Cestodes

Dactylogyridae

Dactylogyrus amphibothrium (Exotic - GLANSIS)
Dactylogyrus hemiamphibothrium (Exotic - GLANSIS)

Diplostomatidae
?

Ichtyocotylurus pileatus (Exotic - GLANSIS)
Scolex pleuronectis (Exotic - GLANSIS)
Timoniella sp. (Exotic - GLANSIS)

Porifera (sponges)
- Demospongiae
  - Haplosclerida
    - Spongillidae X SME
      - Eunapius sp.
        
        E. fragilis ME
      - Ephydatia sp.
        
        E. muelleri ME
      - Spongilla sp.
        
        S. lacustris E

Protozoa - Rhizopoda
- Lobosa
  - Arcellinida
    - Arcellidae
      - Arcella sp. W
      - Hyalosphenia sp. W
      - Schoenbornia sp. W
    - Centropyxidae
      - Centropyxis sp. W
    - Difflugiidae
      - Difflugia sp. W

Filosia
- Aconchulinida
  - Cyphoderiidae

Cyphoderia sp. W
Psammonobiotus sp. W SHEO (Exotic - GLANSIS)
Corythionella sp.W HEO

Euglyphidae

Campascus sp. W
Paraeuglypha sp. W
Sphenoderia sp. W
Scutiglypha sp. W
Tracheleuglypha sp. W
Trinema sp. W
Euglypha spp. W

Paulinellidae

Paulinella W

Rotifera (rotifers) X See also planktonic rotifers

Tardigrada (water bears) XN SM

* (Dominant) based on:

Relationships among zoobenthos, sediments, and organic matter in littoral zones of western Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay. 1983. Richard A. Cole and Diana L. Weigmann. JGLR 9(4)568-581.
Disruption of the benthic community in Lake Ontario. 2003. S.J. Lozano and T.F. Nalepa. in State of Lake Ontario (SOLO) -- Past, Present and Future. M Munawar (ed). Ecovision World Monograph Series. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society.

S (Lake Superior) based on:

M (Lake Michigan) based on combination of:

H (Lake Huron) based on:

C (St. Clair - Detroit River Corridor) based on:

E (Lake Erie) based on:

O (Lake Ontario) based on:

Disruption of the benthic community in Lake Ontario. 2003. S.J. Lozano and T.F. Nalepa. in State of Lake Ontario (SOLO) -- Past, Present and Future. M Munawar (ed). Ecovision World Monograph Series. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society.
Wave-zone macrobenthos of the exposed Canadian shores of the St. Lawrence Great Lakes. 1978. D.R. Barton and B.N. Hynes. JGLR 4(1)27-45.
Factors influencing changes in the nearshore benthic community on the Canadian site of Lake Ontario. 2000. Bruce W. Kilgour, Robert C. Bailey, and E Todd Howell. JGLR 26(3)272-286.
Benthic macroinvertebrate communities of southwestern Lake Ontario following invasion of Dreissena. 1994. Timothy W. Stewart and James M. Haynes. JGLR 20(2)479-493.
Benthic macroinvertebrate communities in southwestern Lake Ontario following invasion of Dreissena: Continuing change. 1999. James M. Haynes, Timothy W. Stewart, and George E. Cook. JGLR 25(4)828-838.
NOAA Great Lakes Nonindigenous Species List
Euryhaline, Sand-dwelling, Testate Rhizopods in the Great Lakes. 2004. Kenneth H. Nicholls, and Hugh J. MacIsaac. J. Great Lakes Res. 30(1):123-132.
Changes to the deepwater benthos of eastern Lake Erie since the invasion of Dreissena 1979-1993. 1997. R Dermott and D Kerec. CJFAS 54: 922-930.
First Finding of the Amphipod Echinogammarus ischnus and the Mussel Dreissena bugensis in Lake Michigan. 2001. Thomas F. Nalepa, Don W. Schloesser, Steve A. Pothoven, Darryl W. Hondorp, David L. Fanslow, Marc L. Tuchman and Guy W. Fleischer. J. Great Lakes Res. 27(3):384-391.
Changes in the Biodiversity of Freshwater Mussels in the Canadian Waters of the Lower Great Lakes Drainage Basin Over the Past 140 Years JL Metcalfe-Smith, SK Staton, GL Mackie, and NM Lane. J. Great Lakes Res. 24(4):845-858, 1998.
Pothoven et al. In press.

X (Great Lakes coastal wetlands) based on:

The ecology of invertebrates in Great Lakes coastal wetlands: current knowledge and research needs. 1992. Kenneth A. Krieger. JGLR 18(4)634-650.
Atlas of the Chironomid Midges (Class Insecta: Order Diptera: Family Chironomidae) Recorded at theOld Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve& State Nature Preserve, Ohio by N.J. Johnson and KA. Krieger. Water Quality Laboratory, Heidelberg College. Tiffin, Ohio, USA 44883. April 2005.
Burton, T.M., D.G. Uzarski and J.A. Genet. 2004. Invertebrate habitat use in relation to fetch and plant zonation in northern Lake Huron coastal wetlands. Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management. 7(2): 249-267

W (wave zone = 0-2m) based on:

R (rocky habitats) based on: Benthic Community Structure and Composition among rocky habitats in the Great Lakes and Keuka Lake, NY. 1987. Michael H. Winnell and David J. Jude. JGLR 13(1)3-17. and Pothoven et al. In press.

L (littoral) based on: Relationships among zoobenthos, sediments, and organic matter in littoral zones of western Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay. 1983. Richard A. Cole and Diana L. Weigmann. JGLR 9(4)568-581.

N (nearshore) based on:

1 = 14-30m based on:

Disruption of the benthic community in Lake Ontario. 2003. S.J. Lozano and T.F. Nalepa. in State of Lake Ontario (SOLO) -- Past, Present and Future. M Munawar (ed). Ecovision World Monograph Series. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society.
Factors influencing changes in the nearshore benthic community on the Canadian site of Lake Ontario. 2000. Bruce W. Kilgour, Robert C. Bailey, and E Todd Howell. JGLR 26(3)272-286.
Pothoven et al. In press.

2 = 31-50m based on:Disruption of the benthic community in Lake Ontario. 2003. S.J. Lozano and T.F. Nalepa. in State of Lake Ontario (SOLO) -- Past, Present and Future. M Munawar (ed). Ecovision World Monograph Series. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society. and Pothoven et al. In press.

3 = 51-70m based on:Disruption of the benthic community in Lake Ontario. 2003. S.J. Lozano and T.F. Nalepa. in State of Lake Ontario (SOLO) -- Past, Present and Future. M Munawar (ed). Ecovision World Monograph Series. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society.

4 = 71-90m based on:Disruption of the benthic community in Lake Ontario. 2003. S.J. Lozano and T.F. Nalepa. in State of Lake Ontario (SOLO) -- Past, Present and Future. M Munawar (ed). Ecovision World Monograph Series. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society.

5 = >90m based on:Disruption of the benthic community in Lake Ontario. 2003. S.J. Lozano and T.F. Nalepa. in State of Lake Ontario (SOLO) -- Past, Present and Future. M Munawar (ed). Ecovision World Monograph Series. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society.

U (eutrophic indicator) based on:

Trophic Status of Southeastern Lake Michigan Based on the Chironimidae (Diptera). 1985. Michael H. Winnell and D.S. White. JGLR 11(4)540-548.

Z (mesotrophic indicator) based on:

G (oligotrophic indicator) based on:

P (saprophilic/saprobionts) based on:

Distribution of Oligochaetes in Lake Michigan and Comments on Their Use as Indices of Pollution. 1985. Diane . Lauritsen, Samuel C. Mozley, and David S. White. JGLR 11(1)67-76.

Great Lakes Water Life Photo Gallery

Benthos of the Great Lakes

Species List

Annelida

Arthropoda - Chelicerata

Arthropoda - Crustacea

Arthropoda - Hexapoda

Ciliophora (ciliates) X (see also planktonic ciliates)

Coelenterata (Cnidaria)

Ectoprocta (Bryozoa) XS

Entoprocta

Mollusca

Nematoda (roundworms) XWN SMHEO

Nematomorpha (horsehair worms)

Nemertea (ribbon worms) W12345 SHEO

Platyhelminthes (flatworms)

Porifera (sponges)

Protozoa - Rhizopoda

Rotifera (rotifers) X See also planktonic rotifers

Tardigrada (water bears) XN SM

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