A small, exceptionally flat and wide lizard with a long (for a horned lizard) broad, flat tail and a dark stripe running down the middle of the back. Six long, horn-like scales project from the back of the head. The two central horns are noticeably longer than the others. Smaller pointed scales protrude from the sides of the jaw. Several isolated, pointed, scales project from the back. Each lower side of the body is edged with two fringes of enlarged, pointed scales. There are no external ear openings. Base coloration is tan, orange-brown, or reddish brown and usually matches the sand on which the lizard lives. The back is marked with rows of dark gray-brown, soft-edged, circular blotches. The underside is plain and pale. Its dark dorsal stripe distinguishes this lizard from all other horned lizards in Arizona.