Cardinal Click Beetle vs Plain Dark-bee

Ampedus cardinalis compared with Stelis phaeoptera

Key Differences

• Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered while Plain Dark-bee is Extinct.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cardinal Click Beetle	Plain Dark-bee
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)
Family	Elateridae	Megachilidae
Genus	Ampedus	Stelis
Species	Ampedus cardinalis	Stelis phaeoptera

Evolutionary Relationship

Cardinal Click Beetle and Plain Dark-bee share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

Plain Dark-bee

EX — Extinct

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cardinal Click Beetle	Plain Dark-bee
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.

Plain Dark-bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, 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