Bearded Milkcap vs Cardinal Click Beetle

Lactarius pubescens compared with Ampedus cardinalis

Key Differences

Bearded Milkcap is Least Concern while Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bearded Milkcap	Cardinal Click Beetle
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Russulales (Russulales)	Coleoptera (Beetles)
Family	Russulaceae	Elateridae
Genus	Lactarius	Ampedus
Species	Lactarius pubescens	Ampedus cardinalis

Conservation Status

Bearded Milkcap

LC — Least Concern

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bearded Milkcap	Cardinal Click Beetle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bearded Milkcap

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Chile).

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.

Bearded Milkcap

The Bearded Milkcap (Lactarius pubescens) is a species in the genus Lactarius. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

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.