Cardinal Click Beetle vs Fire ant

Ampedus cardinalis compared with Solenopsis geminata

Key Differences

• Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered while Fire ant is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cardinal Click Beetle	Fire ant
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)
Family	Elateridae	Formicidae
Genus	Ampedus	Solenopsis
Species	Ampedus cardinalis	Solenopsis geminata

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

Fire ant

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cardinal Click Beetle	Fire ant
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.

Fire ant

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Liberia, Mauritius), Asia (10 countries), Europe (Denmark, Spain, Sweden), North America (9 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (11 countries), and South America (4 countries).

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 2 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇸🇪 Sweden