The two sexes of the species do not differ greatly in appearance; they are similar to the male senator wrasse but without the black patch on the side. Size provides a useful guide when identifying this species, as male are almost all larger than the largest false senator wrasse. Both species can occur on the same southwestern reefs, with the false senator wrasse more abundant than its relative, particularly among brown seaweeds at waveswept locations.

• Max Size: 14 cm
• Sea Temperature Range: 16.2-23.3°C
• Depth: 0-10m
• Habitat: Rocky Reef

• IUCN Threat Status: Least Concern
• Occurrence: Common (47% of sites)
  Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
• Abundance: Few (4 per transect)
  Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.