Sword-tail Newt

Sword-tail Newt (Cynops ensicauda) is a large smooth-skinned Ryukyu newt with a broad head, brown to black upperparts and an orange underside; some individuals have a dorsal stripe or pale spots. 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's Ryukyu Archipelago and possesses defensive toxins; its size, head breadth and smoother skin distinguish it from other familiar East Asian fire-bellied newts. 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).