Arctic Smudge vs Cardinal Click Beetle

Plutella haasi compared with Ampedus cardinalis

Key Differences

• Arctic Smudge is Near Threatened while Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Arctic Smudge	Cardinal Click Beetle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Coleoptera (Beetles)
Family	Plutellidae	Elateridae
Genus	Plutella	Ampedus
Species	Plutella haasi	Ampedus cardinalis

Evolutionary Relationship

Arctic Smudge and Cardinal Click Beetle share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Arctic Smudge

NT — Near Threatened

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Arctic Smudge	Cardinal Click Beetle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Arctic Smudge

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Cardinal Click Beetle

Habitat

Inhabits temperate coniferous forests within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Arctic Smudge

The Arctic Smudge (Plutella haasi) is a species in the genus Plutella. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Cardinal Click Beetle

The Cardinal Click Beetle (Ampedus cardinalis) is a species in the genus Ampedus. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List. Inhabits temperate coniferous forests within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden