Cardinal Click Beetle vs purple thorn

Ampedus cardinalis compared with Selenia tetralunaria

Key Differences

• Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered while purple thorn is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cardinal Click Beetle	purple thorn
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Elateridae	Geometridae
Genus	Ampedus	Selenia
Species	Ampedus cardinalis	Selenia tetralunaria

Evolutionary Relationship

Cardinal Click Beetle and purple thorn share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

purple thorn

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cardinal Click Beetle	purple thorn
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.

purple thorn

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, 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