 Baha el Din (2006) synonymized Testudo werneri due to lacking mtDNA differences between T. kleinmanni from western Libya compared to tortoises from the Negev Desert.In the 2017 checklist of turtles of the world, it remained a synonym.Kleinmann's tortoise lives in deserts and semiarid habitats, usually with compact sand and gravel plains, scattered rocks, shallow, sandy wadis, dry woodlands, shrubby areas, and coastal salt marsh habitats.