Possesses a slender and moderately sized body, with a snout-vent length typically ranging between 50 and 65 millimeters in adult specimens, reaching a total length of over 140 millimeters when the tail is included. The dorsal coloration is highly cryptic, displaying background shades that vary from grayish-brown to yellowish or ocher, which allows it to blend seamlessly into sandy substrates. It features a distinctive pattern of dark, chevron-like or arrow-shaped spots along its back, bordered by whitish or yellowish dorsolateral stripes that originate behind the eyes. Sexual dimorphism is well-developed; adult males are bulkier, exhibit more intense and contrasting color patterns, and possess prominent, bright yellow or orange precloacal pores, which are absent or highly reduced in females. Its dorsal scales are lanceolate, strongly keeled, and imbricated, giving the skin a noticeably rough texture.

Geographical distribution: This saurian is endemic to Argentina, boasting an extremely wide distribution that encompasses the central and western regions of the country. Its range extends from the northern provinces of Salta, Catamarca, Tucumán, and La Rioja, southward through San Juan, Mendoza, San Luis, La Pampa, and Buenos Aires, reaching into northern Patagonia in the provinces of Neuquén, Río Negro, and Chubut.

Habitat: Inhabits primarily arid and semi-arid ecoregions, showing a strong association with the Monte phytogeographic province and the Patagonian Steppe, as well as transitional zones with the Espinal and the Prepuna. It prefers habitats characterized by sandy soils, sand dunes, clay pans, and rocky slopes with sparse vegetation cover. It is commonly found in microhabitats dominated by creosote bushes of the genus Larrea, saltbushes (Atriplex), and xerophytic grasses, where it utilizes the base of these shrubs and leaf litter accumulations for thermal regulation and protection against predators.

Feeding: Exhibits a primarily insectivorous diet, though it displays opportunistic and omnivorous tendencies depending on seasonal availability. Its dietary spectrum is dominated by a variety of terrestrial arthropods, with ants (Formicidae), beetles (Coleoptera), insect larvae, spiders, and orthopterans representing the bulk of its prey. Additionally, particularly during prolonged dry spells, it can supplement its diet with plant matter, consuming tender shoots, leaves, and flowers of local desert shrubs.

Behavior: This species is strictly diurnal and heliothermic, relying entirely on direct solar radiation to regulate its internal body temperature. Activity begins early in the morning, with individuals basking for extended periods on rocks or low branches before foraging. It possesses an extraordinary capacity for rapid burrowing into loose sand, using lateral body undulations to disappear beneath the substrate within seconds when threatened. It is highly territorial, particularly the males, who defend their home ranges through visual displays that include characteristic head-bobbing and push-up movements of the forelimbs.

Reproduction: It is an oviparous reptile with a reproductive cycle closely synchronized with the warmer months of the year. The courtship and mating period begins in early spring (September to October), a time when males increase their territorial displays. Egg-laying occurs during late spring or early summer, with females depositing a single annual clutch of 2 to 6 flexible-shelled, elliptical eggs in moist, sandy nests dug beneath the roots of desert shrubs. Following an incubation period of approximately 60 to 80 days, the neonates hatch during late summer.

Conservation status: Is classified as a species of Least Concern (LC) on global red lists due to its wide geographical range and stable populations. Within national assessments in Argentina, it is officially listed as Not Threatened. However, some localized populations face environmental pressures from habitat fragmentation caused by livestock overgrazing, wildfire events, and agricultural expansion.