Cardinal Click Beetle vs Smoky Bracket

Ampedus cardinalis compared with Bjerkandera adusta

Key Differences

Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered while Smoky Bracket is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cardinal Click Beetle	Smoky Bracket
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Polyporales (Polyporales)
Family	Elateridae	Phanerochaetaceae
Genus	Ampedus	Bjerkandera
Species	Ampedus cardinalis	Bjerkandera adusta

Conservation Status

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

Smoky Bracket

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cardinal Click Beetle	Smoky Bracket
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.

Smoky Bracket

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil).

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.