Spotted paddle-tail newt
"Pachytriton" species are stout-bodied, smooth-skinned aquatic newts. Their heads are large and flattened, and they have conspicuous labial folds and short, stubby legs and toes. They breathe through both lungs and skin. 
"P. brevipes" ranges from 5.5 to 7.5 in as an adult. It has prominent labial folds, long digits, and smooth skin, which differs from the tuberculate skin typical of newts.
Smooth newt
Females and nonbreeding males are pale brown or olive green, often with two darker stripes on the back. Both sexes have orange bellies, although paler in females, which is covered in rounded black spots. They also have pale throats with conspicuous spots. This helps to distinguish them from palmate newts that have pale unspotted throats, and with which they are often confused. When on land, they have velvety skin. During the breeding season, male smooth newts develop a continuous wavy (rather than jagged) crest that runs from their heads to their tails, and their spotted markings become more apparent. They are also distinguishable from females by their fringed toes.