Cardinal Click Beetle vs Five-spot Ermel

Ampedus cardinalis compared with Ethmia terminella

Key Differences

• Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered while Five-spot Ermel is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cardinal Click Beetle	Five-spot Ermel
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Elateridae	Ethmiidae
Genus	Ampedus	Ethmia
Species	Ampedus cardinalis	Ethmia terminella

Evolutionary Relationship

Cardinal Click Beetle and Five-spot Ermel share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

Five-spot Ermel

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cardinal Click Beetle	Five-spot Ermel
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.

Five-spot Ermel

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden