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. The species
Cynops cyanurus is at the centre of all this. There is much debate about the validity of
C. cyanurus and
C. chenggongensis. All the known captive animals could be something different from
C. cyanurus, as they do not entirely match the original description of the species. 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. ==References==