Figaro contains small, slender, firm-bodied sharks that bear distinctive crests of enlarged, spiny dermal denticles along the dorsal and ventral edges of their short caudal fins.

In adult males, the inner margins of the pelvic fins are fused together to form a subtle "apron" over the claspers.

However, it is uncertain whether they intended to resurrect Figaro or were simply unaware of its synonymy with Galeus, and their use of the ventral denticle crest to define the genus posed taxonomic problems.

[6] Figaro also closely resembles the genus Asymbolus in several morphological characters, including the fusion of the pelvic fin inner margins in adult males.

[4] Both Figaro species are endemic to Australian waters, F. boardmani in the south and F. striatus in the northeast.

Members of this genus closely resemble Galeus, with firm, slender bodies and short heads.

In addition, there are enlarged denticles that form prominent saw-like crests on both the dorsal and the ventral edges of the caudal fin.

The dorsal coloration consists of dark saddles along the back and tail, which are wider in F. boardmani and thinner in F. striatus.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed F. boardmani as Least Concern and F. striatus as Data Deficient.