diff --git a/src/parallel b/src/parallel
index af2b8ed2..a4ee96eb 100755
--- a/src/parallel
+++ b/src/parallel
@@ -4507,7 +4507,7 @@ sub number_of_replacements {
     my $multi_regexp = multi_regexp();
     my $replacement_regexp =
 	"(?:". ::maybe_quote('\{') .
-	'\d+(?:|\.|/\.|/|//)?' . # {n} {n.} {n/.} {n/} {n//}
+	'-?\d+(?:|\.|/\.|/|//)?' . # {n} {n.} {n/.} {n/} {n//} {-n} {-n.} {-n/.} {-n/} {-n//}
 	::maybe_quote('\}') .
 	'|'.
 	join("|",map {$a=$_;$a=~s/(\W)/\\$1/g; $a} values %Global::replace).
@@ -4647,7 +4647,7 @@ sub context_replace_placeholders {
     # Normal replace strings
     my $rep_str_regexp = multi_regexp();
     # Positional replace strings
-    my $rep_str_pos_regexp = ::maybe_quote('\{').'\d+'.$rep_inner_regexp.::maybe_quote('\}');
+    my $rep_str_pos_regexp = ::maybe_quote('\{').'-?\d+'.$rep_inner_regexp.::maybe_quote('\}');
 
     # Fish out the words that have replacement strings in them
     my $tt = $target;
@@ -4673,8 +4673,9 @@ sub context_replace_placeholders {
 	    } else {
 		@argset = @{$self->{'arg_list'}};
 	    }
-	    # Match 1..n where n = max args in a argset
-	    my $pos_regexp = "(?:".join("|", 1 .. $#{$argset[0]}+1).")";
+	    # Match -n..-1,1..n where n = max args in a argset
+	    my $n = $#{$argset[0]}+1;
+	    my $pos_regexp = "(?:".join("|", -$n..-1, 1..$n).")";
 	    my $pos_inner_regexp = ::maybe_quote('\{') .
 		"($pos_regexp)($rep_inner_regexp)" .
 		::maybe_quote('\}');
@@ -4689,7 +4690,9 @@ sub context_replace_placeholders {
 		    }
 		}
 		$w = $word;
-		$w =~ s/$pos_inner_regexp/$argset->[$1-1]->replace('{'.$2.'}')/geo;
+		# Replace positive replacement strings with arg[$1-1]
+		# Replace negative replacement strings with arg[$n+$1]
+		$w =~ s/$pos_inner_regexp/$argset->[$1 > 0 ? $1-1 : $n+$1]->replace('{'.$2.'}')/geo;
 		CORE::push @pos_replacements, $w;
 	    }
 	}
diff --git a/testsuite/tests-to-run/parallel-local164.sh b/testsuite/tests-to-run/parallel-local164.sh
index c0ca7b68..997ad026 100644
--- a/testsuite/tests-to-run/parallel-local164.sh
+++ b/testsuite/tests-to-run/parallel-local164.sh
@@ -1,10 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
-SERVER1=parallel-server3
-SERVER2=parallel-server2
-
 # -L1 will join lines ending in ' '
-cat <<'EOF' | sed -e s/\$SERVER1/$SERVER1/\;s/\$SERVER2/$SERVER2/ | parallel -j10 -k -L1
+cat <<'EOF' | parallel -j10 -k -L1
 echo "### Test --delay"
 seq 9 | /usr/bin/time -f %e  parallel -j3 --delay 0.57 true {} 2>&1 | 
   perl -ne '$_ > 5 and print "More than 5 secs: OK\n"'
@@ -115,7 +112,7 @@ echo '### -k -0 -i repl'
 echo '### test --sshdelay'
   stdout /usr/bin/time -f %e parallel -j0 --sshdelay 0.5 -S localhost true ::: 1 2 3 | perl -ne 'print($_ > 1.80 ? "OK\n" : "Not OK\n")'
 
-echo 'bug #38299: --resume-failed -k'
+echo '### bug #38299: --resume-failed -k'
   rm /tmp/joblog-38299
   parallel -k --resume-failed --joblog /tmp/joblog-38299 echo job{#}id{}\;exit {} ::: 0 1 2 3 0 1
   echo try 2
@@ -123,12 +120,17 @@ echo 'bug #38299: --resume-failed -k'
   echo with exit 0
   parallel -k --resume-failed --joblog /tmp/joblog-38299 echo job{#}id{}\;exit 0  ::: 0 1 2 3 0 1
 
-echo '--resume -k'
-  rm /tmp/joblog-resume
+echo '### --resume -k'
+  rm -f /tmp/joblog-resume
   parallel -k --resume --joblog /tmp/joblog-resume echo job{}id\;exit {} ::: 0 1 2 3 0 5
   echo try 2 = nothing
   parallel -k --resume --joblog /tmp/joblog-resume echo job{}id\;exit {} ::: 0 1 2 3 0 5
   echo two extra
   parallel -k --resume --joblog /tmp/joblog-resume echo job{}id\;exit 0 ::: 0 1 2 3 0 5 6 7
 
+echo '### Negative replacement strings'
+  parallel  -N 6 echo {-1}orrec{1} ::: t B C D E c
+  parallel  -N 6 echo {-1}orrect ::: A B C D E c
+
+
 EOF