Cardinal Click Beetle vs Lesser Red-knotgrass

Ampedus cardinalis compared with Polygonum arenarium

Key Differences

• Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered while Lesser Red-knotgrass is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cardinal Click Beetle	Lesser Red-knotgrass
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)
Family	Elateridae	Polygonaceae
Genus	Ampedus	Polygonum
Species	Ampedus cardinalis	Polygonum arenarium

Conservation Status

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

Lesser Red-knotgrass

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cardinal Click Beetle	Lesser Red-knotgrass
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.

Lesser Red-knotgrass

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found across Europe (11 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 2 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇸🇪 Sweden