Bitter Scalewort vs Common harp ground beetle

Porella arboris-vitae compared with Amara communis

Key Differences

• Bitter Scalewort is Vulnerable while Common harp ground beetle is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bitter Scalewort	Common harp ground beetle
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Marchantiophyta (liverwort)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Jungermanniopsida (Jungermanniopsida)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Porellales (Porellales)	Coleoptera (Beetles)
Family	Porellaceae	Carabidae
Genus	Porella	Amara
Species	Porella arboris-vitae	Amara communis

Conservation Status

Bitter Scalewort

VU — Vulnerable

Common harp ground beetle

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bitter Scalewort	Common harp ground beetle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bitter Scalewort

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found across Asia (Taiwan) and Europe (5 countries). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common harp ground beetle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

Bitter Scalewort

The Bitter Scalewort (Porella arboris-vitae) is a species in the genus Porella. It is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Native to Asia and Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Common harp ground beetle

The common harp ground beetle, <em>Amara communis</em>, is an insect belonging to the order Coleoptera, family Carabidae, the ground beetles. This species is distributed across Europe and North America, indicating a wide Holarctic range. Ground beetles of the genus Amara are typically found in a variety of terrestrial habitats including grasslands, agricultural fields, woodland margins, and disturbed areas. Members of this genus are generally omnivorous or seed-feeding, and some are known to consume weed seeds, giving them potential ecological significance in agroecosystems. <em>Amara communis</em> is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, reflecting stable populations across its range. No dietary information has been provided specifically for this species in current records. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden