Cardinal Click Beetle vs Small Black Ant

Ampedus cardinalis compared with Lasius niger

Key Differences

• Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered while Small Black Ant is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cardinal Click Beetle	Small Black Ant
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	Formicidae
Genus	Ampedus	Lasius
Species	Ampedus cardinalis	Lasius niger

Evolutionary Relationship

Cardinal Click Beetle and Small Black Ant share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

Small Black Ant

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cardinal Click Beetle	Small Black Ant
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.

Small Black Ant

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Asia (Japan, Taiwan) and Europe (6 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