[2] It was once thought to be endemic to Ethiopia, but has been found in Eritrea recently.

They are sexually dimorphic, as the females grow larger than the males.

The overall colour is a tan brown through orange to red, with large, deep-brown or black stripes running from the rostral scale through the eye to the rear of the head, where they continue down the body.

It is nocturnal by nature and has been known to feed on small mammals and rodents.

They breed at the beginning of the rainy season and are, it is assumed, an egg-laying species.