The first record of the Asian common toad Duttaphrynus melanostictus Schneider, 1799 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

We report the first record of the Asian common toad Duttaphrynus melanostictus (Schneider, 1799) in Abu Dhabi emirate, United Arab Emirates and the Arabian Peninsula. A total of six individuals were collected in 2016 from habitat within and immediately surrounding the Al Wathba Wetland Reserve (AWWR), a wetland near Abu Dhabi city. The most likely introduction pathway is from accidental stowaways in containers and transport of plant products. Mitochondria' DNA (mtDNA) analysis confirmed the species identification and based on comparison with recent phylogeographic studies found the individuals fell within the south-east Asian mainland lineage comprising toads from Cambodia, China, Vietnam, Thailand and Northern Malaysia. The mtDNA haplotypes recovered from these individuals were novel and likely represent a previously unsampled populations from this lineage. A public awareness campaign was carried out with relevant stakeholders around the reserve and follow up surveys are being carried out since 2016 and no further individuals have been recorded during these surveys and it is assumed that this early intervention prevented D. melanostictus from establishing within the wetland.