Cardinal Click Beetle vs Lesser Spotted Fritillary

Ampedus cardinalis compared with Melitaea trivia

Key Differences

• Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered while Lesser Spotted Fritillary is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cardinal Click Beetle	Lesser Spotted Fritillary
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	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Ampedus	Melitaea
Species	Ampedus cardinalis	Melitaea trivia

Evolutionary Relationship

Cardinal Click Beetle and Lesser Spotted Fritillary share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

Lesser Spotted Fritillary

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cardinal Click Beetle	Lesser Spotted Fritillary
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 Spotted Fritillary

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (21 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.