Cardinal Click Beetle vs Swarming Spine

Ampedus cardinalis compared with Mucronella calva

Key Differences

Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered while Swarming Spine is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cardinal Click Beetle	Swarming Spine
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Elateridae	Clavariaceae
Genus	Ampedus	Mucronella
Species	Ampedus cardinalis	Mucronella calva

Conservation Status

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

Swarming Spine

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cardinal Click Beetle	Swarming Spine
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.

Swarming Spine

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 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.