Overview of Invertebrate Animal Data

NatureServe Explorer provides comprehensive conservation status and taxonomic information for invertebrate animal species native to the United States and Canada in the taxonomic groups noted below with an asterisk (*). Invertebrate records in NatureServe Explorer represent those species groups for which there is sufficient information known to reasonably categorize their status and distribution. Other invertebrate species not in these groups that may need conservation attention are also included. These records collectively represent less than 5% of known described U.S. and Canadian invertebrates. See Classification of Vertebrates and Invertebrates for the source of invertebrate names used in NatureServe Explorer.

Distribution information is complete for asterisked (*) groups, except sphinx and royal moths, stoneflies, and dragonflies, for which distribution information is only provided for those species globally at risk (i.e., with global conservation status ranks of GX to G3). All invertebrate species recorded in NatureServe Explorer have been classified according to major references or recent literature, and most have been assigned a global conservation status rank. National status under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada are provided where applicable. This information is continually reviewed and updated in the NatureServe Central Databases in order to reflect the latest taxonomic treatments, ongoing inventory efforts, and new status assessments. NatureServe Explorer is updated periodically from the NatureServe Central Databases, and new invertebrate groups are regularly added to the databases.