Taxonomy
Formerly in the genus Clemmys, the wood turtle is now a member of Glyptemys, a classification that wood turtles share with only the bog turtle. It and the bog turtle have a similar genetic makeup, which is marginally different from that of the spotted turtle, the only current member of the Clemmys genus. It has undergone extensive name changes by various scientists over the course of its history. Today, there are several prominent common names for the wood turtle, including sculptured tortoise, red-legged tortoise, and redleg.
Although no subspecies are recognized, there are morphological differences in wood turtles between areas. Individuals found in the west of its range (areas like the Great Lakes and the Midwest United States) have a paler complexion on the inside of their legs and underside of their necks than ones found in the east (places including the Appalachian Mountains, New York, and Pennsylvania). Genetic analysis has also revealed that southern populations have less genetic diversity than the northern; however, both exhibit a fair amount of diversity considering the decline in numbers that have occurred during previous ice ages.
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