Chestnut Coloured Click Beetle vs large tortoiseshell

Anostirus castaneus compared with Nymphalis polychloros

Key Differences

• Chestnut Coloured Click Beetle is Least Concern while large tortoiseshell is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chestnut Coloured Click Beetle	large tortoiseshell
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	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Anostirus	Nymphalis
Species	Anostirus castaneus	Nymphalis polychloros

Evolutionary Relationship

Chestnut Coloured Click Beetle and large tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Chestnut Coloured Click Beetle

LC — Least Concern

large tortoiseshell

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chestnut Coloured Click Beetle	large tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chestnut Coloured Click Beetle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.

large tortoiseshell

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and boreal forests and taiga, among 9 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found across Europe (39 countries). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Chestnut Coloured Click Beetle

The Chestnut Coloured Click Beetle (Anostirus castaneus) is a species in the genus Anostirus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

large tortoiseshell

large tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychloros) is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List. Facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild due to severe population decline and habitat loss.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇨🇭 Switzerland