This species is distinguished from its congeners by having a sharp ventral process on the opercle (vs. absent); subopercle narrow (vs. wide); interopercle narrow (vs. wide); filamentous second pelvic-fin ray (vs. not filamentous); all cephalic lateral line system opened in males and females (vs. closed); no mesethemoid (vs. present); presence of an orange bright blotch on the preorbital region of both males and females (vs. absent); similar to F. wallacei and differs from all other congeners by having a slender retroarticular (vs. deep); opercle triangular-shaped (vs. scale-shaped); males with an orange colouration on the posterior region of the pectoral fin (vs. hyaline); head neuromasts not placed inside shallow groves (vs. in shallow grooves). Other characters not unique but useful to identify tis species include: second and fourth pharyngobranchial tooth plates not enlarged (vs. enlarged); no teeth on second pharyngobranchial plate (vs. present); ventral process of posttemporal short (vs. long); with rostral cartilage (vs. absent); anterodorsal process of opercle non-existent (vs. present); an elongate and pointed anal fin reaching vertical to dorsal-fin tip (vs. short and rounded) (Ref. 123788).