Japanese Fire-bellied Newt

Japanese Fire-bellied Newt (Cynops pyrrhogaster) is a dark-backed newt with a vivid red belly whose pattern varies by age, genetics and region; adults measure roughly 8–15 cm. Identification should combine body proportions, colour, skin texture and locality because closely related Japanese salamanders can be difficult to separate. Claims are limited to species accounts opened for this batch (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is endemic to Japan, including Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, uses natural and artificial waters plus forest and grassland, and carries diet-derived tetrodotoxin. Information absent from those species-level sources is omitted rather than transferred from relatives. Japanese occurrence follows the catalogue and opened distribution account, without relying on IUCN conservation material (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).