Cardinal Click Beetle vs Crowded Brittlegill

Ampedus cardinalis compared with Russula densifolia

Key Differences

Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered while Crowded Brittlegill is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cardinal Click Beetle	Crowded Brittlegill
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Russulales (Russulales)
Family	Elateridae	Russulaceae
Genus	Ampedus	Russula
Species	Ampedus cardinalis	Russula densifolia

Conservation Status

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

Crowded Brittlegill

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cardinal Click Beetle	Crowded Brittlegill
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.

Crowded Brittlegill

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (4 countries), and North America (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.