Cardinal Click Beetle vs star-thistle

Ampedus cardinalis compared with Centaurea calcitrapa

Key Differences

Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered while star-thistle is Extinct.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cardinal Click Beetle	star-thistle
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)
Family	Elateridae	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)
Genus	Ampedus	Centaurea
Species	Ampedus cardinalis	Centaurea calcitrapa

Conservation Status

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

star-thistle

EX — Extinct

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cardinal Click Beetle	star-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.

star-thistle

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (India, Japan), Europe (18 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile).

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.