Nope, a dash IMMEDIATELY in front of a number indicates a negative number, as do including a number in parenthesis.
It may not matter to you to get things EXACTLY correct, but as a programmer who has to pay attention to such details, it’s a fact.
This colon (:) symbol is I the appropriate delineator in this case, not a dash/minus symbol. If programmers don't understand the English language, they should go back to India.