Recently discovered tailless amphibian (3)
I believe the answer is:
new
'recently' is the definition.
('new' can be a synonym of 'recently')
'tailless amphibian' is the wordplay.
'tailless' means to remove the last letter.
'amphibian' becomes 'newt' (newt is a kind of amphibian).
'newt' with its last letter taken off is 'NEW'.
'discovered' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for new that I've seen before include "Unconventional" , "and 28 and 29: The 365th day" , "Not previously used" , "Contemporary" , "'Fresh, novel (3)'" .)