Schizothorax

Schizothorax is a genus of cyprinid fish found in southern and western China, through northern South Asia (Himalaya) and Central Asia, to Iran, with a single species, S. prophylax, in Turkey. They are primarily found in highland rivers, streams and lakes, although a few species occur in lower-lying locations, like Lake Balkhash and lakes of the Sistan Basin. Their scientific name means "cloven-breast", from Ancient Greek schízeïn (σχίζειν) 'to cleave' and thórax (θώραξ) 'breast-plate' (see also thorax). The western species are typically referred to as marinkas from their Russian name marinka (маринка), while the eastern species are usually called snowtrout. Although they do resemble trouts in habitus this is merely due to convergent evolution and they are by no means closely related apart from both being Teleostei: Cyprinids are in the teleost superorder Ostariophysi, while trouts are in the superorder Protacanthopterygii. Their ancestors must thus have diverged as early as the Triassic, more than 200 million years ago.

Schizothorax is a part of the schizothoracines (snowtrout and allies), which also includes the genera Aspiorhynchus, Chuanchia, Diptychus, Gymnodiptychus, Gymnocypris, Oxygymnocypris, Platypharodon, Ptychobarbus, Schizopyge and Schizopygopsis. The last two were formerly often included in the present genus, and their delimitation is still not entirely clear. In any case, the genus Schizothorax (and other "snowtrouts") are in turn related to such cyprinids as the typical barbels (Barbus sensu stricto and the doubtfully distinct Luciobarbus and Messinobarbus), Carasobarbus, Labeobarbus, Aulopyge and Cyprinion. They were thus placed in the subfamily Barbinae, which is quite paraphyletic however and thus here merged with the Cyprininae at least for the largest part (including the marinkas), becoming its junior synonym in the process.

Species


There are currently 65 recognized species in this genus:


 * Schizothorax argentatus Kessler, 1874 (Balkhash marinka)
 * Schizothorax beipanensis J. Yang, X. Y. Chen & J. X. Yang, 2009
 * Schizothorax biddulphi Günther, 1876
 * Schizothorax chivae Arunkumar & Alphonsa Moyon, 2016
 * Schizothorax chongi (P. W. Fang, 1936)
 * Schizothorax cryptolepis T. Y. Fu & M. R. Ye, 1984
 * Schizothorax curvifrons Heckel, 1838 (Sattar snowtrout)
 * Schizothorax curvilabiatus (Wu & Tsao, 1992)
 * Schizothorax davidi (Sauvage, 1880)
 * Schizothorax dolichonema Herzenstein, 1889
 * Schizothorax dulongensis S. Y. Huang, 1985
 * Schizothorax edeniana McClelland, 1842
 * Schizothorax elongatus S. Y. Huang, 1985
 * Schizothorax esocinus Heckel, 1838 (Chirruh snowtrout)
 * Schizothorax eurystomus Kessler, 1872
 * Schizothorax gongshanensis W. H. Tsao, 1964
 * Schizothorax grahami (Regan, 1904)
 * Schizothorax griseus Pellegrin, 1931
 * Schizothorax heteri J. Yang, L. P. Zheng, X. Y. Chen & J. X. Yang, 2013
 * Schizothorax heterochilus M. R. Ye & T. Y. Fu, 1986
 * Schizothorax heterophysallidos J. Yang, X. Y. Chen & J. X. Yang, 2009
 * Schizothorax huegelii Heckel, 1838
 * Schizothorax integrilabiatus (Wu et al., 1992)
 * Schizothorax kozlovi A. M. Nikolskii, 1903
 * Schizothorax kumaonensis Menon, 1971 (Kumaon snowtrout)
 * Schizothorax labiatus (McClelland, 1842) (Kunar snowtrout)
 * Schizothorax labrosus Y. H. Wang, D. D. Zhuang & L. C. Gao, 1981
 * Schizothorax lantsangensis W. H. Tsao, 1964
 * Schizothorax lepidothorax J. X. Yang, 1991
 * Schizothorax leukus J. Yang, L. P. Zheng, X. Y. Chen & J. X. Yang, 2013
 * Schizothorax lissolabiatus W. H. Tsao, 1964
 * Schizothorax longibarbus (P. W. Fang, 1936)
 * Schizothorax macrophthalmus Terashima, 1984 (Nepalese snowtrout)
 * Schizothorax macropogon Regan, 1905
 * Schizothorax malacanthus S. Y. Huang, 1985
 * Schizothorax meridionalis W. H. Tsao, 1964
 * Schizothorax microcephalus F. Day, 1877
 * Schizothorax microstomus S. Y. Huang, 1982
 * Schizothorax molesworthi (B. L. Chaudhuri, 1913) (Blunt-nosed snowtrout)
 * Schizothorax myzostomus W. H. Tsao, 1964
 * Schizothorax nasus Heckel, 1838 (Dongu snowtrout)
 * Schizothorax nepalensis Terashima, 1984
 * Schizothorax ninglangensis Y. H. Wang, K. X. Zhang & D. D. Zhuang, 1981
 * Schizothorax nudiventris J. Yang, X. Y. Chen & J. X. Yang, 2009
 * Schizothorax nukiangensis W. H. Tsao, 1964
 * Schizothorax oconnori Lloyd, 1908
 * Schizothorax oligolepis S. Y. Huang, 1985
 * Schizothorax parvus W. H. Tsao, 1964
 * Schizothorax pelzami Kessler, 1870 (Transcaspian marinka)
 * Schizothorax plagiostomus Heckel, 1838
 * Schizothorax prenanti (T. L. Tchang, 1930)
 * Schizothorax progastus (McClelland, 1839) (Dinnawah snowtrout)
 * Schizothorax prophylax Pietschmann, 1933 (Eğirdir marinka)
 * Schizothorax pseudoaksaiensis Herzenstein, 1889 (Ili marinka)
 * Schizothorax ramzani (Javed, Ullah & Pervaiz, 2012)
 * Schizothorax raraensis Terashima, 1984 (Rara snowtrout)
 * Schizothorax richardsonii (J. E. Gray, 1832) (Common snowtrout)
 * Schizothorax rotundimaxillaris Y. F. Wu & C. Z. Wu, 1992
 * †Schizothorax saltans Regan, 1905
 * Schizothorax sinensis Herzenstein, 1889
 * Schizothorax skarduensis Mirza & A. A. Awan, 1978
 * Schizothorax waltoni Regan, 1905
 * Schizothorax wangchiachii (P. W. Fang, 1936)
 * Schizothorax yunnanensis Norman, 1923
 * Schizothorax zarudnyi (A. M. Nikolskii, 1897)