The "knee" (tarsometatarsal articulation) reaches the tympanum or the eye when the hind leg is held parallel along the side of the body.

Males have a subgular vocal sac and black pads on the inner fingers that help in holding the female during copulation.

[2] Asian common toads breed in still and slow-flowing rivers and temporary and permanent ponds and pools.

Adults are terrestrial and may be found under ground cover such as rocks, leaf litter, and logs, and are also associated with human habitations.

They have been recorded from sea level up to 1,800 m (5,900 ft) altitude, and live mostly in disturbed lowland habitats, from upper beaches and riverbanks to human-dominated agricultural and urban areas.

One study analyzed the sequences of the Na+/K+-ATPase gene (sodium-potassium pump) in dozens of Malagasy species that may be feeding on D. melanostictus.

[16][17] The absence of resistance to toad toxins in native snake and varanid predators means that these species could suffer severe declines from the inadvertent spread of the Asian common toad via human traffic,[15] and the currently near threatened New Guinea quoll is also almost certain to be further affected in the lower-altitude portion of its range.

[20] It may cause serious ecological problems due to "competition with native species, its potential to spread exotic parasites and pathogens and its toxicity".

So, experts are calling for the Australian government to develop a "high-priority contingency plan" that includes stronger environmental quarantine and surveillance strategies.