Cardinal Click Beetle vs Common Bithynia

Ampedus cardinalis compared with Bithynia tentaculata

Key Differences

• Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered while Common Bithynia is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cardinal Click Beetle	Common Bithynia
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Mollusca (Mollusks)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Littorinimorpha (Littorinimorpha)
Family	Elateridae	Bithyniidae
Genus	Ampedus	Bithynia
Species	Ampedus cardinalis	Bithynia tentaculata

Evolutionary Relationship

Cardinal Click Beetle and Common Bithynia share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

Common Bithynia

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cardinal Click Beetle	Common Bithynia
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

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.

Common Bithynia

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States.

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.

Common Bithynia

The common bithynia (<em>Bithynia tentaculata</em>) is a freshwater gastropod snail belonging to the family Bithyniidae. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and has been recorded across terrestrial and aquatic habitats in Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and the United States. <em>Bithynia tentaculata</em> typically inhabits slow-moving or still freshwater environments such as lakes, ponds, canals, and rivers, often on muddy or sandy substrates where organic material is abundant. The species has a distinctive operculum that seals the shell opening, providing protection against desiccation and predators. It typically feeds by grazing on algae, detritus, and biofilms on submerged surfaces. The common bithynia serves as an intermediate host for several trematode parasites, making it ecologically significant in freshwater food webs and parasite life cycles. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden