All of the species show bright yellow or red bellies, but this feature is not unique to this genus.

Species recognized as of October 2019:[1] (A * means that the newt has been moved into the genus Hypselotriton in some classifications [2][3]) The genus Cynops has been suggested to be due for a split, with the Chinese species being placed in a separate genus from the Japanese ones.

All the known captive animals could be something different from C. cyanurus, as they do not entirely match the original description of the species.

[citation needed] The only known animals that match that are animals originating from Chemnitz Zoo, but the F2 animals have not bred well, which could suggest they are in fact a hybrid of C. cyanurus and C. chenggongensis or an undescribed Cynops species.

[citation needed] Media related to Cynops at Wikimedia Commons