Threatened and endangered Illinois lake species
There are 100 threatened and endangered Illinois species that depend on lake ecosystems
during some portion of their life cycle. The symbols E and T indicate whether the species is
endangered or threatened in the state.
Amphibians
There is 1 endangered lake amphibian in Illinois: the Silvery Salamander.
- Ambystoma platineum--Silvery salamander--E
Birds
There are 19 threatened or endangered lake birds in Illinois.
- Botaurus lentiginosus--American bittern--E
- Charadrius melodus--Piping plover--E
- Chlidonias niger--Black tern--E
- Egretta caerulea--Little blue heron--E
- Egretta thula--Snowy egret--E
- Falco peregrinus--Peregrine falcon--E
- Gallinula chloropus--Common moorhen--T
- Grus canadensis--Sandhill crane--E
- Haliaeetus leucocephaalus--Bald eagle--E
- Ixobrychus exilis--Least bittern--E
- Limnothlypis swainsonii--Swainson's warbler--E
- Nyctanassa violacea--Yellow-crowned night heron--T
- Pandion haliaetus--Osprey--E
- Phalacrocorax auritus--Double-crested cormorant--T
- Phalarpus tricolor--Wilson's phalarope--E
- Podilymbus podiceps--Pied-billed grebe--T
- Sterna forsteri--Forster's tern--E
- Sterna hirundo--Common tern--E
- Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus--Yellow-headed blackbird--E
Mammals
There is 1 endangered lake mammal in Illinois: the Southeastern Myotis.
- Myotis austroriparius--Southestern myotis--E
Invertebrates
There are 6 endangered or threatened lake invertebrates in Illinois.
Snails
- Discus macclintocki--Iowa pleistocene snail--E
Mussels
- Caecidotea spatulata--Isopod--E
- Elliptio dilatata--Spike--T
Crustaceans
- Orconectes lancifer--Oxbow crayfish--E
- Stygobromus iowae--Iowa amphipod--E
Insects
- Paraphlepsius lupalus--Leafhopper--E
Fish
There are 14 threatened or endangered lake fish in Illinois.
Osteichthyes
- Acipenser fulvescens--Lake sturgeon--E
- Catostomus catostomus--Longnose sucker--T
- Coregonus artedi--Cisco--T
- Ehteostoma exile--Iowa darter--E
- Fundulus diaphanus--Banded killifish--T
- Hybognathus hayi--Cypress minow--E
- Lepomis punctatus--Spotted sunfish--T
- Lepomis symmetricus--Bantam sunfish--T
- Moxostoma valenciennesi--Greater redhorse--E
- Notropis anogenus--Pugnose shiner--E
- Notropis heterodon--Blackchin shinner--T
- Notropis heterolepis--Blacknose shiner--E
- Notropis hubbsi--Bluehead shiner--E
Plants
There are 45 threatened or endangered lake plants in Illinois.
- Amelanchier Sanguinea--Shadbush--E
- Ammophila breviligulta--Marram grass--E
- Arctostaphylos uva-ursi--Bearberry--E
- Bidens beckii--Water marigold--E
- Cakile edentula--Sea rocket--T
- Carex garberi--Elk sedge--E
- Carex rostrata--Beaked sedge--T
- Carex tonsa--Shaved sedge--E
- Castilleja sessiliflora--Downy yellow painted cup--E
- Chamaesyce polygonifolia--Seaside spurge--E
- Circaea alpina--Small enchanter's nightshasde--E
- Cirsium pitcheri--Pitcher's thistle--T
- Corydalis aurea--Golden corydalis--E
- Echinodorus tenellus--Small burhead--E
- Eleocharis olivacea--Capitate spikerush--E
- Equisetum scirpoides--Dwarf scouring rush--E
- Glyceria borealis--Northern manna-grass--E
- Hydrocotyle ranunculoides--Water-pennywort--E
- Juniperus communis--Ground juniper--T
- Juniperus horizontalis--Trailing juniper--E
- Lathyrus maritimus--Beach pea--E
- Lipocarpha maculata--Mottled lipocarpha--E
- Paspalum dissectum--Bead grass--E
- Pinus banksiana--Jack pine--E
- Poa alsodes--Grove bluegrass--E
- Polygonatum pubescens--Downy solomon's seal--T
- Potamogeton gramineus--Grass-leaved pondweed--E
- Potamogeton praelogus--White-stemmed pondweed--E
- Potamogeton pulcher--Spotted pondweed--E
- Potamogeton robbinsii--Fern pondweed--E
- Potamogeton strictifolius--Stiff pondweed--E
- Potamogeton vaseyi--Vasey's pondweed--E
- Ranunculus cymbalaria--Seaside crowfoot--E
- Rhynchospora alba--Beaked rush--T
- Salix syrticola--Dune willow--E
- Scirpus torreyi--Torrey bulrush--E
- S. reticularis muhlenbergii--Netted nut rush--E
- Shepherdia canadensis--Buffaloberry--E
- Sparganium americanum--American burreed--E
- Sparganium chlorocarpum--Green-fruited burreed--E
- Thuja occidentallis--Arbor vitae--T
- Tofieldia glutinosa--False asphodel--T
- Trientalis borealis--Star-flower--T
- Trillium erectum--Ill-scented trillium--E
- Utricula minor--Small bladderwort--E
Reptiles
There are 4 endangered lake reptiles in Illinois.
- Clonophis kirtlandi--Kirtland's snake
- Kinosternon flavescens--Illinois mud turtle--E
- Nerodia fasciata--Broad-banded water snake--E
- Thamnophis sauritus--Eastern ribbon snake--E
Return to lake page