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Fimbriosthenelais minor

Subspecies
Hartman (1959) suspected that Fimbriosthenelais minor may be a subspecies of Sthenelais atlantica (=Fimbriosthenelais zetlandica), but this is not accepted by other authors. The taxon Sthenelais minor digitata Fauvel, 1919, has been described as a subspecies from Madagascar. However, this taxon has been regarded as a tentative synonym of Fimbriosthenelais longipinnis (Grube, 1870) by Pettibone (1971). No subspecies of Fimbriosthenelais minor are recognized here.

Synonyms
Sthenelais minor Pruvot et Racovitza, 1895
Sthenelais minor minor Pruvot et Racovitza, 1895
Fimbriosthenelais minor (Pruvot et Racovitza, 1895)

There is considerable confusion about the species barriers in the genus Fimbriosthenelais (see Pettibone 1971). Earlier authors synonymize names with the nominal Sthenelais minor, that Pettibone (1971) regards as separate species or as synonyms of other species of the genus, e. g. Fimbriosthenelais zetlandica. I follow here Pettibone in every aspect, but I note that the issue of Fimbriosthenelais taxonomy is far from being settled. More work (including DNA phylogenetic analyses) is urgently needed to clarify the taxonomy of this group of closely related genera.

Distribution
I know no record from the southern North Sea or coastal German waters. However, due to the taxonomic confusion within and between species of Sthenelais and Fimbriosthenelais not all finds (especially historical ones) can be safely assigned to a species. It is possible that some records of other Sthenelais or Fimbriosthenelais species in the southern North Sea actually refer to Fimbriosthenelais minor. The species is recorded from the English Chanel and the French coast. Thus, the species may reach the southern North Sea.