Cardinal Click Beetle vs Merriam’s Pocket Mouse

Ampedus cardinalis compared with Perognathus merriami

Key Differences

• Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered while Merriam’s Pocket Mouse is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cardinal Click Beetle	Merriam’s Pocket Mouse
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Elateridae	Heteromyidae
Genus	Ampedus	Perognathus
Species	Ampedus cardinalis	Perognathus merriami

Evolutionary Relationship

Cardinal Click Beetle and Merriam’s Pocket Mouse share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

Merriam’s Pocket Mouse

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cardinal Click Beetle	Merriam’s Pocket Mouse
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.

Merriam’s Pocket Mouse

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.