Cardinal Click Beetle vs Common Crocus

Ampedus cardinalis compared with Crocus vernus

Key Differences

Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered while Common Crocus is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cardinal Click Beetle	Common Crocus
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Asparagales (Asparagales)
Family	Elateridae	Iridaceae
Genus	Ampedus	Crocus
Species	Ampedus cardinalis	Crocus vernus

Conservation Status

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

Common Crocus

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cardinal Click Beetle	Common Crocus
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 Crocus

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (12 countries) and North America (Canada, 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 Crocus

<em>Crocus vernus</em>, commonly known as the common crocus or spring crocus, is a small bulbous perennial plant in the family Iridaceae. Native to Europe, it has been widely cultivated and naturalized across North America. Common crocus typically grows in alpine meadows, subalpine grasslands, and woodland edges, often emerging through snow in early spring, making it one of the earliest flowering plants of the season. The flowers are solitary and cup-shaped, appearing before the leaves, and range in color from white and lilac to deep purple. The species has long been cultivated as an ornamental plant and is one of the parents of many garden crocus cultivars. Its corms are eaten by rodents and its flowers provide an early-season nectar source for bees and other pollinators. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.