Cardinal Click Beetle vs Northern Dusky Slug

Ampedus cardinalis compared with Arion fuscus

Key Differences

• Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered while Northern Dusky Slug is Data Deficient.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cardinal Click Beetle	Northern Dusky Slug
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Mollusca (Mollusks)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Stylommatophora (Stylommatophora)
Family	Elateridae	Arionidae
Genus	Ampedus	Arion
Species	Ampedus cardinalis	Arion fuscus

Evolutionary Relationship

Cardinal Click Beetle and Northern Dusky Slug share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

Northern Dusky Slug

DD — Data Deficient

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cardinal Click Beetle	Northern Dusky Slug
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.

Northern Dusky Slug

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Range

Found across Europe (7 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden