With the addition of Meiacanthus abruptus, the M. geminatus group now includes five allopatric species (Fig. 1), all with a single mid-lateral stripe. The Red Sea-Gulf of Aden endemic Meiacanthus nigrolineatus Smith-Vaniz also has a single lateral stripe, but it differs in being relatively narrow and extending obliquely from the eye to the upper margin of the caudal peduncle or below the posterior third of the dorsal fin