Abstract Qatar is one of the few countries where there is no permanent natural surface freshwater source, and yet toads are known to occur, recently identified as the African common toad, Sclerophrys regularis. However, little information is available concerning the geographical distribution of toads in Qatar, as well as how they have expanded their distribution. We conducted the first-ever nationwide field survey of toads in Qatar. Toads were present in sites where water was supplied from outside sources by irrigation pipes and/or water transportation vehicles statistically significantly more frequently than in sites where water was provided exclusively from inside sources (wells). The distribution pattern of toads in Qatar may suggest that toads were initially introduced to eastern parts of the country, and have dispersed from there through water transportation networks.

中文翻译：

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外星两栖动物如何在极度干旱的环境中扩大其分布？：卡塔尔的非洲普通蟾蜍（Sclerophrys regularis）

摘要 卡塔尔是为数不多的没有永久性天然地表淡水源，但已知存在蟾蜍的国家之一，最近被确定为非洲常见蟾蜍，Scleophrys regularis。然而，关于卡塔尔蟾蜍的地理分布以及它们如何扩大分布的信息很少。我们在卡塔尔进行了首次全国范围的蟾蜍实地调查。蟾蜍出现在通过灌溉管道和/或水运车辆从外部来源供水的地点，在统计上比仅从内部来源（井）供水的地点出现的频率要高得多。卡塔尔蟾蜍的分布模式可能表明蟾蜍最初被引入该国东部地区，