[4] The specific name, ravergieri, is in honor of a certain Mr. Ravergier who was an attaché at the French embassy in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The former Soviet republics of the Caucasus and Central Asia, the latter from the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea east to E Kazakhstan: Dorsally, H. ravergieri is tan or grayish, with a series of dark rhomboidal spots or crossbars, alternating with smaller spots on the sides.

The spots usually become confluent posteriorly, and appear as dark stripes on the tail.

The weakly keeled dorsal scales are arranged in 21 rows.

The ventrals, which are obtusely angulate laterally, number 190-222; the anal is divided; and the subcaudals, which are paired, are 75–101.