The specific name, dorbignyi, is in honor of French naturalist Alcide d'Orbigny.

[3] X. dorbignyi is found in Argentina, southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

[1][2] The preferred natural habitats of X. dorbignyi are forest and grassland, both with sandy soil.

[4] It resembles the sympatric venomous snake Bothrops alternatus.

[2] Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Xenodon.