Cardinal Click Beetle vs Downy Emerald

Ampedus cardinalis compared with Cordulia aenea

Key Differences

• Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered while Downy Emerald is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cardinal Click Beetle	Downy Emerald
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Odonata (Odonata)
Family	Elateridae	Corduliidae
Genus	Ampedus	Cordulia
Species	Ampedus cardinalis	Cordulia aenea

Evolutionary Relationship

Cardinal Click Beetle and Downy Emerald share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

Downy Emerald

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cardinal Click Beetle	Downy Emerald
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.

Downy Emerald

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

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.

Downy Emerald

Downy Emerald (Cordulia aenea) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden