Shining the spotlight on invertebrates

As the foundation of the food web, changes to invertebrate communities alter the natural balance of river systems. This has implications for wildlife, like fish, that rely on invertebrates as a food source.

This database contains high-resolution images to assist with the identification of aquatic invertebrates to the species level. Scroll down to register and access the image library (information about image use and copyright can be found at the bottom of this page).

Copyright conditions

Commercial usage in print or digital format is prohibited without the explicit written consent of WildFish. If agreed a commercial rate will be charged for single use per image.

Apart from size, downloaded images must not be altered or manipulated in any way and headers, logos, badges and copyright notices must not be removed.

For identification purposes, it is suggested that only those species found at the user’s river/site be downloaded. These can then be transferred into a suitable photo app.

Please note: the majority of images are taken using preserved specimens so colouration may not reflect a live individual in the wild.

The Images

This database is built upon the photographic collection of Dr. Cyril Bennett, MBE, and highlights his many years of dedicated effort recording freshwater biodiversity.

These images are used to facilitate invertebrate identification as part of WildFish’s citizen science project – SmartRivers.

This library will continue to be updated with new species as samples become available.