Some Black-spined Toads have two rows of large warts along the back and smaller ones on the sides. The front fingers are well defined, with the first and second digits being of equal length. The third finger is the longest and the fourth is shorter than the third, but longer than the first and second. The tips of the digits are rounded. These toads use their spade-like feet for burrowing into the soil as they shuffle backwards beneath the surface to avoid predation.
Males have a vocal sac, and a nuptial pad on the first finger.
The color of the back varies from olive to brown to brick red. The ridges and warts are black. The belly is whitish-brown with brown spots on the throat. The throat of the adult males is chestnut. A unique characteristic of Bufo melanostictus is the fact that they are entirely terrestrial.