For each species name, ITIS provides the author and date, taxonomic rank, common names, a unique taxonomic serial number, expert and publication lists and data quality indicators. Click "more..." below to view ITIS taxonomic records for invertebrates.
Invertebrates are animals having no backbone or spinal column such as insects, mollusks, crustaceans, worms, and similar organisms. Invertebrates inhabit aquatic environments including freshwater and marine habitats, as well as terrestrial habitats on land.
Invertebrates depending on freshwater ecosystems such as lakes, rivers, streams and ponds are called freshwater invertebrates. Invertebrates that do not depend on aquatic ecosystems to complete any phase of their life cycle are called terrestrial invertebrates, living entirely on land. Common groups of invertebrates found in the Southeastern U.S. are listed below.
Please note: the list below is not a comprehensive representation of regional invertebrate phyla. Rather, it serves to familiarize the reader with major invertebrate groups (phyla) and the organisms within them.
Arthropods Invertebrates belonging to the largest phylum of animals, Arthropoda, with an exoskeleton, segmented bodies, and jointed appendages, including many subphyla and classes, such as insects, crustaceans, horseshoe crabs, sea spiders, centipedes, millipedes, and the extinct trilobites.
Arachnids Carnivorous arthropods, chiefly terrestrial, of the class Arachnida including spiders, scorpions, mites, ticks, false scorpions, palpigrades, solifugids, and harvestmen.
Crustaceans Arthropods of class Crustacea, such as crabs, lobsters, shrimp, prawns, or barnacles, with hard shells (exoskeleton) and segmented bodies with pairs of jointed appendages.
Insects Small arthropod animals of the class Insecta with bodies in 3 segments (head, thorax, and abdomen). They have 3 pairs of legs, 2 antennae, and usually one or two pairs of wings. Includes flies, mosquitoes, beetles, butterflies, bees, crickets, and dragonflies.
Mollusks Invertebrates belonging to the phylum Mollusca with soft, nonsegmented bodies, often covered by a hard shell. Includes snails, clams, oysters, whelks, mussels, slugs, octopuses, and squids.
Annelids Members of the phylum Annelida, Annelids are segmented worms that inhabit marine and freshwater environments, in addition to terrestrial environments. Annelids include three different classes: polychaetes, oligochaetes, and hirudinea (leeches).
Species Spotlight
Rusty crayfish Orconectes rusticus
Description:Rusty crayfish have a brown body, and greenish-rusty colored claws with dark black bands near the tip. It has more robust claws and is larger than other native species of crayfish. Prominent rusty patches on either side of the carapace may or may not always be present.
Habitat:Rusty crayfish will inhabit lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams with adequate rock, log, and debris cover. They prefer bottoms of clay, silt and gravel.
Distribution:Rusty crayfish are native to the Ohio River Basin, particularly throughout the states of Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, and Illinois. But, now rusty crayfish are also found in Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, Missouri, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Wisconsin, and many areas in Ontario, Canada as a result of bait releases.
