I have to admit, I had no idea what a scud was, until today. According to this article from the Northwest Indiana Times, and this more detailed article from the University of Illinois, scuds are crustaceans, and the non-native species Apocorophium lacustre has been found in the Illinois River. For now, the scuds at least making the river cleaner, but if their populations expand, they are expected to wreak havoc on the food web. While there are scuds native to the Illinois River, this species is from Atlantic coastal wetlands, and is thought to have been introduced via ships' ballast.
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