[1] This species was originally described in the genus Albericus,[2] named for Alberich, the dwarf in Scandinavian mythology and Richard Wagner's opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen.

[2] Choerophryne fafniri is a comparatively large species: six unsexed individuals in the type series measure 21.0–22.2 mm (0.83–0.87 in) in snout–urostyle length.

[2] Later examination of five of these has revealed them to be males measuring 21.0–23.1 mm (0.83–0.91 in) in snout–vent length.

The flanks and belly are orange to dark red and heavily blotched with brown.

[2] Choerophryne fafniri lives in mid-altitude montane rainforest at an elevation of about 2,400 m (7,900 ft) above sea level.