NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Dwarf marginated tortoise (weissingeri)
Testudo marginata Schoepff, 1792
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 marginated tortoise (Testudo marginata) is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to Greece, Italy, and the Balkans in Southern Europe. It is the largest European tortoise. The marginated tortoise is herbivorous, and brumates for the winter.
Wikipedia contributors, Marginated tortoise; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T13:18:05.398073+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Testudo marginata Schoepff, 1792
- Name authority
- Schoepff, 1792
- Common name
- Dwarf marginated tortoise (weissingeri)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Testudines
- Family
- Testudinidae
- Genus
- Testudo
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
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
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderTestudines Batsch, 1788
- suborderCryptodira
- superfamilyTestudinoidea
- familyTestudinidae
- genusTestudo
- speciesTestudo marginata Schoepff, 1792
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Testudo. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Testudo kleinmanni Lortet, 1883 | TestudinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mediterranean Spur-thighed TortoiseTestudo graeca Linnaeus, 1758 | TestudinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Fergana Valley Steppe Tortoise [bogdanovi]Testudo horsfieldii Gray, 1844 | TestudinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Testudo weissingeri Bour, 1996 Bour, 1996 | synonym |
| Testudo nemoralis Schreiber, 1875 Schreiber, 1875 | synonym |
| Testudo marginata sarda Mayer, 1992 Mayer, 1992 | synonym |
| Testudo campanulata Strauch, 1862 Strauch, 1862 | synonym |
| Testudo graja Hermann, 1804 Hermann, 1804 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
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://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Testudo&species=marginata 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:55JTW. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.