NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Beech Marten
Martes foina (Erxleben, 1777)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The beech marten (Martes foina), also known as the stone marten, house marten or white breasted marten, is a species of marten native to much of Europe and Central Asia, though it has established a feral population in North America. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List on account of its wide distribution, its large population, and its presence in a number of protected areas. It is superficially similar to the European pine marten, but differs from it by its smaller size and habitat preferences. While the pine marten is a forest specialist, the beech marten is a more generalist and adaptable species, occurring in a number of open and forest habitats.
Wikipedia contributors, Beech marten; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:19:35.108641+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Martes foina (Erxleben, 1777)
- Name authority
- (Erxleben, 1777)
- Common name
- Beech Marten
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Carnivora
- Family
- Mustelidae
- Genus
- Martes
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderCarnivora Bowdich, 1821
- suborderCaniformia Kretzoi, 1938
- familyMustelidae G. Fischer von Waldheim, 1817
- subfamilyGuloninae Gray, 1825
- genusMartes Pinel, 1792
- speciesMartes foina (Erxleben, 1777)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Martes. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| American MartenMartes americana (Turton, 1806) | MustelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pacific MartenMartes caurina (Merriam, 1890) | MustelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Yellow-throated MartenMartes flavigula (Boddaert, 1785) | MustelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Nilgiri MartenMartes gwatkinsii Horsfield, 1851 | MustelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| European Pine MartenMartes martes (Linnaeus, 1758) | MustelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Japanese MartenMartes melampus (Wagner, 1840) | MustelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| SableMartes zibellina (Linnaeus, 1758) | MustelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Southern Asia
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=621941 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3Y9VW. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.