An underwater picture of a colony of freshwater mussels living on the bottom of the water.

Great Lakes Benthic Invertebrate Guide

This guide was developed by Kit Hastings and Susan Daniel to support the EPA Long-term Benthic Monitoring Project and Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative. It is intended to be used in conjunction with relevant identification keys, to aid in the identification of aquatic invertebrates found in the benthos of the Great Lakes. This project is still in development, but eventually all of the species found in the EPA benthos samples will be represented in this guide. Microscope photos of relevant distinctive features will be on each species page to aid in identification.

Number of species

60

Oligochaeta

52

Chironomidae

18

Mollusca

9

Crustaceans

6

Hirudinea

12

Miscellaneous

Taxa List

Oligochaeta

Family Lumbriculidae

Family Naididae, Subfamily Naidinae

Family Naididae, Subfamily Tubificinae

Family Enchytraeidae

  • Enchytraeidae

Chironomidae

Mollusca

Bivalvia

  • Dreissena polymorpha
  • Dreissena rostriformis bugensis
  • Pisidium spp.
  • Musculium/Sphaerium spp.

Gastropoda

Crustaceans

Amphipoda

  • Diporeia spp.
  • Echinogammarus ischnus
  • Gammarus fasciatus
  • Gammarus pseudolimnaeus
  • Gammarus tigrinus
  • Hyalella azteca

Isopoda

Mysida

  • Mysis diluviana

Hirudinea

  • Erpobdellidae
  • Helobdella elongata
  • Helobdella stagnalis
  • Piscicola geometra
  • Piscicola milneri
  • Placobdella montifera

Miscellaneous

Nemertea

  • Nemertea sp.

Polychaeta

  • Manayunkia speciosa

Turbellaria

  • Girardia tigrina
  • Hydrolimax grisea

Hydridae

  • Hydra sp.

Ephemeroptera

Hemiptera

  • Trichocorixa borealis

Trichoptera