It is found in dry plains of Central Asia, the foothills and mountains of Tian Shan, Zhungar Alatau and Pamir Mountains (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan), the mountains and deserts of Western China and Mongolia, and probably westward to northern Afghanistan and north to Lake Balkhash in Kazakhstan and northeast Altai Republic in Russia.

[2] The specific name pewzowi honours Mikhail Pevtsov, a Russian geographer, cartographer, and explorer.

Gosner stage 35–37 tadpoles measure about 45 mm (1.8 in) in total length, of which the tail makes almost two thirds.

[5] Bufotes pewzowi occurs in dry steppes, grasslands, semi-deserts and deserts, and in mountains from foothills through all altitudinal belts up to subalpine meadows, perhaps to over 4,000 m (13,000 ft) above sea level.

It can suffer from extreme habitat modification and from collection for traditional medicine.