Cardinal Click Beetle vs Melancholy Thistle

Ampedus cardinalis compared with Cirsium heterophyllum

Key Differences

Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered while Melancholy Thistle is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cardinal Click Beetle	Melancholy Thistle
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)
Family	Elateridae	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)
Genus	Ampedus	Cirsium
Species	Ampedus cardinalis	Cirsium heterophyllum

Conservation Status

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

Melancholy Thistle

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cardinal Click Beetle	Melancholy Thistle
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.

Melancholy Thistle

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (6 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.