Cardinal Click Beetle vs Pill Beetle

Ampedus cardinalis compared with Byrrhus pilula

Key Differences

• Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered while Pill Beetle is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cardinal Click Beetle	Pill Beetle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Coleoptera (Beetles)
Family	Elateridae	Byrrhidae
Genus	Ampedus	Byrrhus
Species	Ampedus cardinalis	Byrrhus pilula

Evolutionary Relationship

Cardinal Click Beetle and Pill Beetle share a common ancestor at the Order level: Coleoptera. (Beetles)

Conservation Status

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

Pill Beetle

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cardinal Click Beetle	Pill Beetle
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.

Pill Beetle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

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