Cardinal Click Beetle vs Darkling beetle

Ampedus cardinalis compared with Tribolium destructor

Key Differences

• Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered while Darkling beetle is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cardinal Click Beetle	Darkling beetle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Coleoptera (Beetles)
Family	Elateridae	Tenebrionidae
Genus	Ampedus	Tribolium
Species	Ampedus cardinalis	Tribolium destructor

Evolutionary Relationship

Cardinal Click Beetle and Darkling beetle share a common ancestor at the Order level: Coleoptera. (Beetles)

Conservation Status

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

Darkling beetle

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cardinal Click Beetle	Darkling beetle
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.

Darkling beetle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Japan), Europe (21 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇨🇭 Switzerland