[1] The species is native to western North Africa.

The specific name, koellikeri, is in honor of Swiss histologist Albert von Kölliker.

[1] The natural habitats of Koelliker's glass lizard are temperate forests, shrubland, temperate grassland, and pastureland, at altitudes up to 2,000 m (6,600 ft).

Dorsally, it is brownish, with a darker lateral band.

[4] H. koellikeri has often been historically included within the genus Ophisaurus, but genetic evidence has shown H. koellikeri to be more closely related to Anguis and Pseudopus than to Ophisaurus.