Reinstatement of Minous inermis and M. trachycephalus (Synanceiidae) to the checklist of Red Sea fishes, with comments on M. monodactylus

Abstract

Records of the stingfish genus Minous (family Synanceiidae) from the Red Sea are reviewed. Although excluded from the recent checklist of fishes from that region, both Minous inermis Alcock 1889 and Minous trachycephalus (Bleeker 1855) are reported from the Red Sea, on the basis of two and seven voucher specimens, respectively. On the other hand, the record of Minous monodactylus (Bloch and Schneider 1801) from the Red Sea is considered erroneous, the original source of this record having been based on a misidentification of Minous coccineus Alcock 1890. Accordingly, only M. coccineus, M. inermis and M. trachycephalus are confirmed from Red Sea waters.