Cardinal Click Beetle vs False Death-Cap

Ampedus cardinalis compared with Amanita citrina

Key Differences

• Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered while False Death-Cap is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cardinal Click Beetle	False Death-Cap
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Elateridae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Ampedus	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Ampedus cardinalis	Amanita citrina

Conservation Status

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

False Death-Cap

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cardinal Click Beetle	False Death-Cap
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.

False Death-Cap

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (5 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden