[2] They are found as solitary individuals or in pairs on rock outcrops in arid savannah.

It can be identified, along with Cordylus vittifer, by have an elongate first row of dorsal scales.

Machadoe's girdled lizard is uniform yellow brown above and paler below.

The pale vertebral stripe found in the Cordylus vittifer is not present.

Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa: Ralph Curtis Books Publishing, Sanibel Island, Florida, 399 p.