Cardinal Click Beetle vs Prickly Russian Thistle

Ampedus cardinalis compared with Salsola tragus

Key Differences

• Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered while Prickly Russian Thistle is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cardinal Click Beetle	Prickly Russian Thistle
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)
Family	Elateridae	Amaranthaceae
Genus	Ampedus	Salsola
Species	Ampedus cardinalis	Salsola tragus

Conservation Status

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

Prickly Russian Thistle

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cardinal Click Beetle	Prickly Russian 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.

Prickly Russian Thistle

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Lesotho, South Africa), Europe (8 countries), and North America (Canada, United States).

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