Big-flowered Fritillary vs Common Sun Beetle

Fritillaria grandiflora compared with Amara aenea

Key Differences

• Big-flowered Fritillary is Critically Endangered while Common Sun Beetle is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Big-flowered Fritillary	Common Sun Beetle
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Liliales (Liliales)	Coleoptera (Beetles)
Family	Liliaceae	Carabidae
Genus	Fritillaria	Amara
Species	Fritillaria grandiflora	Amara aenea

Conservation Status

Big-flowered Fritillary

CR — Critically Endangered

Common Sun Beetle

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Big-flowered Fritillary	Common Sun Beetle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Big-flowered Fritillary

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Common Sun Beetle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (7 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

Big-flowered Fritillary

The Big-flowered Fritillary (Fritillaria grandiflora) is a species in the genus Fritillaria. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Common Sun Beetle

<em>Amara aenea</em>, the common sun beetle, is a carabid ground beetle in the family Carabidae, order Coleoptera. It is broadly distributed across Europe and has been introduced to North America, typically inhabiting open, sunny habitats such as arable fields, grasslands, sandy heathlands, and disturbed ground with sparse vegetation. Adults are omnivorous, feeding on seeds, small invertebrates, and plant material, and are considered important predators of weed seeds in agricultural systems. <em>Amara aenea</em> is surface-active during warm, dry conditions, typically exhibiting peak activity in late spring and summer. Like many carabid beetles, it is nocturnal and shelters under stones and debris during the day. Larvae develop in the soil, where they also feed on organic matter and small invertebrates. Biological traits including precise adult lifespan, body length measurements, and detailed prey preferences remain poorly documented at the species level. The species is assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN, reflecting its wide distribution, high adaptability to disturbed environments, and no significant known threats to global population status.