nmap seems to miss ports: doing something wrong? - nmap

Question

If I specify a port range and scan for open ports such as the below
range, I get no result, even though ports (per netstat) are clearly
open and listening for web activity in this range:
[me#box ~]$ ./nmap --open -A --script ssl-enum-ciphers.nse,ssl-cert.nse -p [10050-65535] w.x.y.z
Starting Nmap 7.01 at 2016-01-21 16:24 CST
Service detection performed. Please report any incorrect results at http.../submit/ .
Nmap done: 1 IP address (1 host up) scanned in 0.63 seconds
See above: nothing reported!
But if I scan a specific port in that same range (the same way), I get the
result I'd expect:
[me#box ~]$ ./nmap --open -A --script ssl-enum-ciphers.nse,ssl-cert.nse -p 10050 w.x.y.z
Starting Nmap 7.01 ( ) at 2016-01-21 16:24 CST
Nmap scan report for box-name (w.x.y.z)
Host is up (0.00010s latency).
PORT STATE SERVICE VERSION
10050/tcp open http Apache httpd
|_http-server-header: Apache
Service detection performed. Please report any incorrect results at ht.../submit/ .
Nmap done: 1 IP address (1 host up) scanned in 11.74 seconds
What's wrong? Why doesn't it report that port (and some others) in the results
from the first command line? The second command line is the same except it
specifies a specific port that's known to be open (and output proves it is indeed open).
Makes no sense to me. Any advice?
This is nmap 7.01 if it matters.
Also I'm scanning the local box itself with its own specific IP address on which
the https ports are up and listening. (Not a scan of some other remote machine).

Answer 1

Using brackets around the port list means "Only scan ports if they occur in the services file." The nmap-services file that comes with Nmap does not contain a reference to port 10050, so that port is not scanned. In fact, you can see just which ports are scanned by using Grepable output and the -v flag:
$ ./nmap -p [10050-65535] -oG - -v
# Nmap 7.01SVN scan initiated Fri Jan 22 01:59:37 2016 as: ./nmap -p [10050-65535] -oG - -v
# Ports scanned: TCP(1371;10058,10064,10082-10083,10093,10101,10115,10160,10180,10215,10238,10243,10245-10246,10255,10280,10338,10347,10357,10387,10414,10443,10494,10500,10509,10529,10535,10550-10556,10565-10567,10601-10602,10616-10617,10621,10626,10628-10629,10699,10754,10778,10842,10852,10873,10878,10900,11000-11001,11003,11007,11019,11026,11031-11033,11089,11100,11110-11111,11180,11200,11224,11250,11288,11296,11371,11401,11552,11697,11735,11813,11862-11863,11940,11967,12000-12002,12005-12006,12009,12019,12021,12031,12034,12059,12077,12080,12090,12096-12097,12121,12132,12137,12146,12156,12171,12174,12192,12215,12225,12240,12243,12251,12262,12265,12271,12275,12296,12340,12345-12346,12380,12414,12452,12699,12702,12766,12865,12891-12892,12955,12962,13017,13093,13130,13132,13140,13142,13149,13167,13188,13192-13194,13229,13250,13261,13264-13265,13306,13318,13340,13359,13456,13502,13580,13695,13701,13713-13715,13718,13720-13724,13730,13766,13782-13784,13846,13899,14000-14001,14141,14147,14218,14237-14238,14254,14418,14441-14444,14534,14545,14693,14733,14827,14891,14916,15000-15005,15050,15145,15151,15190-15191,15275,15317,15344,15402,15448,15550,15631,15645-15646,15660,15670,15677,15722,15730,15742,15758,15915,16000-16001,16012,16016,16018,16048,16080,16113,16161,16270,16273,16283,16286,16297,16349,16372,16444,16464,16705,16723-16725,16797,16800,16845,16851,16900-16901,16992-16993,17007,17016-17017,17070,17089,17129,17251,17255,17300,17409,17413,17500,17595,17700-17702,17715,17801-17802,17860,17867,17877,17969,17985,17988,17997,18000,18012,18015,18018,18040,18080,18101,18148,18181-18184,18187,18231,18264,18333,18336-18337,18380,18439,18505,18517,18569,18669,18874,18887,18910,18962,18988,19010,19101,19130,19150,19200-19201,19283,19315,19333,19350,19353,19403,19464,19501,19612,19634,19715,19780,19801,19842,19852,19900,19995-19996,20000-20002,20005,20011,20017,20021,20031-20032,20039,20052,20076,20080,20085,20089,20102,20106,20111,20118,20125,20127,20147,20179-20180,20221-20228,20280,20473,20734,20828,20883,20934,20940,20990,21011,21078,21201,21473,21571,21631,21634,21728,21792,21891,21915,22022,22063,22100,22125,22128,22177,22200,22222-22223,22273,22290,22341,22350,22555,22563,22711,22719,22727,22769,22882,22939,22959,22969,23017,23040,23052,23219,23228,23270,23296,23342,23382,23430,23451,23502,23723,23796,23887,23953,24218,24392,24416,24444,24552,24554,24616,24800,24999-25001,25174,25260,25262,25288,25327,25445,25473,25486,25565,25703,25717,25734-25735,25847,26000-26001,26007,26208,26214,26340,26417,26470,26669,26972,27000-27003,27005,27007,27009-27010,27015-27019,27055,27074-27075,27087,27204,27316,27350-27353,27355-27357,27372,27374,27521,27537,27665,27715,27770,28017,28114,28142,28201,28211,28374,28567,28717,28850-28851,28924,28967,29045,29152,29243,29507,29672,29810,29831,30000-30001,30005,30087,30195,30299,30519,30599,30644,30659,30704-30705,30718,30896,30951,31033,31038,31058,31072,31337,31339,31386,31416,31438,31522,31657,31727-31728,32006,32022,32031,32088,32102,32200,32219,32260-32261,32764-32765,32767-32792,32797-32799,32803,32807,32814-32816,32820,32822,32835,32837,32842,32858,32868-32869,32871,32888,32897-32898,32904-32905,32908,32910-32911,32932,32944,32960-32961,32976,33000,33011,33017,33070,33087,33124,33175,33192,33200,33203,33277,33327,33335,33337,33354,33367,33395,33444,33453,33522-33523,33550,33554,33604-33605,33841,33879,33882,33889,33895,33899,34021,34036,34096,34189,34317,34341,34381,34401,34507,34510,34571-34573,34683,34728,34765,34783,34833,34875,35033,35050,35116,35131,35217,35272,35349,35392-35393,35401,35500,35506,35513,35553,35593,35731,35879,35900-35901,35906,35929,35986,36046,36104-36105,36256,36275,36368,36436,36508,36530,36552,36659,36677,36694,36710,36748,36823-36824,36914,36950,36962,36983,37121,37151,37174,37185,37218,37393,37522,37607,37614,37647,37674,37777,37789,37839,37855,38029,38037,38185,38188,38194,38205,38224,38270,38292,38313,38331,38358,38446,38481,38546,38561,38570,38761,38764,38780,38805,38936,39067,39117,39136,39265,39293,39376,39380,39433,39482,39489,39630,39659,39732,39763,39774,39795,39869,39883,39895,39917,40000-40003,40005,40011,40193,40306,40393,40400,40457,40489,40513,40614,40628,40712,40732,40754,40811-40812,40834,40911,40951,41064,41123,41142,41250,41281,41318,41342,41345,41348,41398,41442,41511,41523,41551,41632,41773,41794-41795,41808,42001,42035,42127,42158,42251,42276,42322,42449,42452,42510,42559-42560,42575,42590,42632,42675,42679,42685,42735,42906,42990,43000,43002,43018,43027,43103,43139,43143,43188,43212,43231,43242,43425,43654,43690,43734,43823,43868,44004,44101,44119,44176,44200,44334,44380,44410,44431,44442-44443,44479,44501,44505,44541,44616,44628,44704,44709,44711,44965,44981,45038,45050,45100,45136,45164,45220,45226,45413,45438,45463,45602,45624,45697,45777,45864,45960,46034,46069,46115,46171,46182,46200,46310,46372,46418,46436,46593,46813,46992,46996,47012,47029,47119,47197,47267,47348,47372,47448,47544,47557,47567,47581,47595,47624,47634,47700,47777,47806,47850,47858,47860,47966,47969,48009,48067,48080,48083,48127,48153,48167,48356,48434,48619,48631,48648,48682,48783,48813,48925,48966-48967,48973,49002,49048,49132,49152-49161,49163-49173,49175-49176,49179,49186,49189-49191,49195-49197,49201-49204,49211,49213,49216,49228,49232,49235-49236,49241,49275,49302,49352,49372,49398,49400-49401,49452,49498,49500,49519-49522,49597,49603,49678,49751,49762,49765,49803,49927,49999-50003,50006,50016,50019,50040,50050,50101,50189,50198,50202,50205,50224,50246,50258,50277,50300,50356,50389,50500,50513,50529,50545,50576-50577,50585,50636,50692,50733,50787,50800,50809,50815,50831,50833-50836,50849,50854,50887,50903,50945,50997,51011,51020,51037,51067,51103,51118,51139,51191,51233-51235,51240,51300,51343,51351,51366,51413,51423,51460,51484-51485,51488,51493,51515,51582,51658,51771-51772,51800,51809,51906,51909,51961,51965,52000-52003,52025,52046,52071,52173,52225-52226,52230,52237,52262,52391,52477,52506,52573,52660,52665,52673,52675,52710,52735,52822,52847-52851,52853,52869,52893,52948,53085,53178,53189,53211-53212,53240,53313-53314,53319,53361,53370,53460,53469,53491,53535,53633,53639,53656,53690,53742,53782,53827,53852,53910,53958,54045,54075,54101,54127,54235,54263,54276,54320-54321,54323,54328,54514,54551,54605,54658,54688,54722,54741,54873,54907,54987,54991,55000,55020,55055-55056,55183,55187,55227,55312,55350,55382,55400,55426,55479,55527,55555-55556,55568-55569,55576,55579,55600,55635,55652,55684,55721,55758,55773,55781,55901,55907,55910,55948,56016,56055,56259,56293,56507,56535,56591,56668,56681,56723,56725,56737-56738,56810,56822,56827,56973,56975,57020,57103,57123,57294,57325,57335,57347,57350,57352,57387,57398,57479,57576,57665,57678,57681,57702,57730,57733,57797,57891,57896,57923,57928,57988,57999,58001-58002,58072,58080,58107,58109,58164,58252,58305,58310,58374,58430,58446,58456,58468,58498,58562,58570,58610,58622,58630,58632,58634,58699,58721,58838,58908,58970,58991,59087,59107,59110,59122,59149,59160,59191,59200-59202,59239,59340,59499,59504,59509-59510,59525,59565,59684,59778,59810,59829,59841,59987,60000,60002-60003,60020,60055,60086,60111,60123,60146,60177,60227,60243,60279,60377,60401,60403,60443,60485,60492,60504,60544,60579,60612,60621,60628,60642,60713,60728,60743,60753,60782-60783,60789,60794,60989,61159,61169-61170,61402,61473,61516,61532,61613,61616-61617,61669,61722,61734,61827,61851,61900,61942,62006,62042,62078,62080,62188,62312,62519,62570,62674,62866,63105,63156,63331,63423,63675,63803,64080,64127,64320,64438,64507,64551,64623,64680,64726-64727,64890,65000,65048,65129,65301,65310-65311,65389,65488,65514) UDP(0;) SCTP(0;) PROTOCOLS(0;)
WARNING: No targets were specified, so 0 hosts scanned.
# Nmap done at Fri Jan 22 01:59:37 2016 -- 0 IP addresses (0 hosts up) scanned in 0.10 seconds
That shows 1371 scanned ports out of 55486 in the range you gave. Note that no packets were sent in this command: it's a nice way to see exactly which ports you will scan (like the default 1000, or the top 100 with -F, or some other list with --top-ports).