The genus Schizothorax represents a group of fish distributed in the mountain rivers of Asia and is distinguished from other cypriniforms by its complex taxonomic history. This article provides a chronological analysis of the research history of Schizothorax species. Between 1832 and 2022, more than 100 species and subspecies were described within this genus; however, over time, the taxonomic status of most of them has changed. At present, 59 of these taxa are considered valid. Furthermore, the article analyzes the current systematic status of the genus Schizothorax, noting the presence of 70 species. It also highlights priority research directions for taxa with complex taxonomic status.
References
Кесслер, К. (1872). Ихтиофауна Туркестана. Изв. о-ва любителей естествозн., антропол. и этнографии, 10, 47–76.
Chen, H., Zhang, H., Chen, Y., Freyhof, J. (2019). A review of the Barbatula loaches (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae) from north-eastern China, with the description of four new species. Zootaxa, 4565(1), 001–036.
Sheraliev, B., Peng, Z. (2021). Triplophysa ferganaensis, a new loach species from Fergana Valley in Central Asia (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae). Journal of Fish Biology, 99(3), 807–817.
Rozimov, A., Wang, Y., Wang, M., Zou, M., Sobirov, J., Karimov, E., Kholmatov, B., Freyhof, J., Namozov, S., Wang, C., Li, X., Guo, B. (2025). Mitochondrial genome insights into the phylogenetics and biogeographic evolution of snow trout (Cyprinidae, Schizothorax) in the Tien Shan Mountains. Zoosystematics and Evolution, 101(1), 91–102.
Heckel, J.J. (1838). Fische aus Caschmir gesammelt und herausgegeben von Carl Freiherrn von Hügel, beschrieben von J.J. Heckel. Wien, 1–86.
McClelland, J. (1842). On the fresh-water fishes collected by William Griffith, Esq., F. L. S. Madras Medical Service, during his travels under the orders of the Supreme Government of India, from 1835 to 1842. Calcutta Journal of Natural History, 2 (8), 560–589.
Kessler, K.F. (1870). Description of a new fish species of the family, Cyprinoidei. Труды Санкт-Петербургского Общества Естествоиспытателей, 1, 320–323.
Kessler, K.F. (1879). Beiträge zur Ichthyologie von Central-Asien. Bulletin de l'Académie Impériale des Sciences de St. Pétersbourg, 25, 282–310.
Günther, A. (1876). Remarks on fishes, with descriptions of new species in the British Museum, chiefly from southern seas. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 17 (101), 389–402.
Günther, A. (1889). Fishes. The zoology of the Afghan Delimitation Commission. The Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. Second Series. Zoology, 5 (3), 53–142.
Day, F. (1877). On the fishes of Yarkand. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 781–807.
Nikolskii, A.M. (1886). Bemerkungen über einige Fische des Balckasch-Beckens. Bulletin de l'Académie Impériale des Sciences de St. Pétersbourg, 30, 12–14.
Николский A.M. (1903). О трех новых видах рыб из Средней Азии (Schizothorax kozlovi sp. n., Ptychobarbus kaznakovi sp. n., Nemachilus fedtschenkoae sp. n.). Ежегодник, Зоологический музей Императорской академии наук, 8: 90–94.
Herzenstein, S.M. (1889). Fische. In: Wissenschaftliche Resultate der von N.M. Przewalski nach Central-Asien unternommenen Reisen. Zoologischer Theil, 3 (2), 91–180.
Regan, C.T. (1905). Descriptions of five new cyprinid fishes from Lhasa, Tibet, collected by Captain H.J. Walton, I. M. S. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 15 (86), 185–188.
Regan, C.T. (1907). Descriptions of three new fishes from Yunnan, collected by Mr. J. Graham. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 19 (109), 63–64.
Berg, L.S. (1907). Verzeichnis der Fische von Russisch-Turkestan. Ежегодник, Зоологический музей Императорской академии наук, 10 (3-4), 316–332.
Берг, Л.С. (1932). Пресноводные рыбы СССР и соседние страны. Часть I. Ленинград, 1–543.
Lloyd, R.E. (1908). Report on the fish collected in Tibet by Capt. F.H. Stewart, I.M.S. Records of the Indian Museum, 2 (4), 341–344.
Zugmayer, E. (1909). Descriptions of four new cyprinoid fishes from high Asia. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 4 (23), 432–435.
Vinciguerra, D. (1916). Pesci raccolti dalla spedizione de Filippi nell'Asia centrale. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova, 47, 123–149.
Norman, J.R. (1923). Three new fishes from Yunnan, collected by Professor J.W. Gregory, F.R.S. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 11 (64), 561–563.
Lohberger, K. (1929). Einige noch nicht beschriebene Fischformen aus dem Thian-Schan. Anzeiger der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien, Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Klasse, 66 (16), 157–158.
Pellegrin, J. (1931). Description de deux Cyprinidés nouveaux de Chine appartenant au genre Schizothorax Heckel. Bulletin de la Société Zoologique de France, 56 (2), 145–149.
Pietschmann, V. (1933). Drei neue Fischarten (Cypriniden) aus Kleinasien. Anzeiger der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien, Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Klasse, 70, 21–23.
Турдаков, Ф.A. (1936). Ихтиофауна среднего течения реки Зеравшан и горных ручьев. Труды Узбекского государственного университета, 7, 167–195.
Турдаков, Ф.A. (1968). Замечания о разновидностях Schizothorax intermedius. В: Ихтиологические и гидробиологические исследования в Киргизии. Известия Академии наук Киргизской ССР, 3–45.
Турдаков, Ф.A. (1955). Обзор ихтиофауны реки Талас. Учебные материалы биологического факультета Кыргызского государственного университета, 5, 128–163.
Некрашевич, Н.Г. (1948). Новые формы рыб Алакульских озер. Ученые Запинского Томского университета, 11, 119–124.
Fowler, H.W., Steinitz, H. (1956). Fishes from Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Israel and Oman. Bulletin of the Research Council of Israel, 5B (3-4), 260–292.
Tsao, W.-H. (1964). The cyprinid fishes of China. Science Press, Shanghai, 1, 228 pp. (In Chinese)
Karaman, M.S. (1969). Zwei neue Süßwasserfische aus Afghanistan und Iran. Mitteilungen aus dem Hamburgischen Zoologischen Museum und Institut, 66, 55–58.
Menon, A.G.K. (1971). Taxonomy of fishes of the genus Schizothorax Heckel with the description of a new species from Kumaon Himalayas. Records of the Zoological Survey of India, 63 (1-4), 195–208.
Mirza, M.R., Awan, A.A. (1978). Schizothorax skarduensis (Pisces, Cyprinidae), a new fish from Pakistan. Biologia, 24 (2), 199–203.
Wu, Y.-F., Chen, Y. (1979). Notes on fishes from Golog and Yushu region of Qinghai Province, China. Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica, 4 (3), 287–296. (In Chinese)
Wang, Y.-H., Zhuang, D.-D., Zhang, K.-X., Gao, L.-C. (1981). Descriptions of three new schizothoracid fishes from Lake Luguhu of Yunnan Plateau, China. Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica, 6 (3), 328–333. (In Chinese)
Chen, Y.-Y., Zhang, W., Hwang, S.-Y. (1982). Speciation in schizothoracid fishes of Lake Lugu. Acta Zoologica Sinica, 28 (3), 217–225. (In Chinese)
Fu, T.-Y., Ye, M.-R. (1984). Notes on a new species of the genus Schizothorax from Sichuan, China. Zoological Research, 5 (2), 165–168. (In Chinese)
Ye, M.-R., Fu, T.-Y. (1986). A new species of schizothoracid fishes from Sichuan, China (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae). Zoological Research, 7 (1), 65–68. (In Chinese)
Terashima, A. (1984). Three new species of the cyprinid genus Schizothorax from Lake Rara, northwestern Nepal. Japanese Journal of Ichthyology, 31 (2), 122–135.
Huang, S.-Y. (1985). On five new species and subspecies of the genus Schizothorax Heckel from Yunnan, China. Zoological Research, 6 (3), 209–217. (In Chinese)
Пивнев, И.А. (1985). Рыбы баcсейнов рек Чу и Талас. Издательство Илим, Фрунзе, 189 c.
Yang, J.-X. (1991). The fishes of Fuxian Lake, Yunnan, China, with description of two new species. Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 2 (3), 193–202.
Wu, Y.-F., Wu, C.-Z. (1992). The Fishes of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. Sichuan Publishing House of Science & Technology, Chengdu, 599 pp. (In Chinese)
Chen, Y.-Y. (1998). The fishes of the Hengduan Mountains region. The series of the scientific expedition to the Hengduan Mountains of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. Science Press, Beijing, 364 pp.
Yang, J., Chen, X.-Y., Yang, J.-X. (2009). The identity of Schizothorax griseus Pellegrin, 1931, with descriptions of three new species of schizothoracine fishes (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from China. Zootaxa, 23–40.
Chen, Y.-Y., Tsao, W.-X. (2000). Schizothoracinae. Osteichthyes. Cypriniformes III. Science Press, Beijing, 273−390. (In Chinese)
Chu, X.-L., Chen, Y.-R. (1989). The fishes of Yunnan, Part I Cyprinidae. Science Press, Beijing, 377 pp.
Yang, J., Zhen, L.-P., Chen, X.-Y., Yang, J.-X. (2013). Description of two new species and revision of Schizothoroax distributed in the Irrawaddy drainage area in China. Zoological Research, 34 (4), 361–367. (In Chinese)
Arunkumar, L., Moyon, W.A. (2016). Schizothorax chivae, a new schizothoracid fish from Chindwin basin, Manipur, India (Teleostei: Cyprinidae). International Journal of Fauna and Biological Studies, 3 (2), 65–70.
Zhang, C.-G., Yang, J.-X., Zhao, Y.-H. and Pan, X.-F. (eds.) (2019). Fishes in the Jinsha Jiang River basin, the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, China. Science Press, Beijing: i-xxxii + 607 pp.
Ding, R.-H., Dai, Y.-X., Huang, Y.-Y. (2022). A new species of the genus Schizothorax from Sichuan, China (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae). Sichuan Journal of Zoology, 41 (3), 300–303. (In Chinese)
Fricke, R., Eschmeyer, W.N., Van der Laan, R. (2025). Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes: Genera, Species, References. (http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/ fishcatmain.asp). (murojaat etilgan sana: 10.02.2025).55. Shrestha, J. (1978). Fish fauna of Nepal. Journal of Natural History Museum Tribhuvan University, 5 (1-4), 33–43.
Zhang, C.-G., Cai, B., Xu, T.-Q. (1995). Fishes and fish resources Xizang, China, 162 pp.
Coad, B.W. (1981). Fishes of Afghanistan, an annoted checklist. National Museum of Canada Publications in Zoology, 14, i-v + 1–26.
Menon, A. G. K. (1999). Check list - Fresh water fishes of India. Records of the Zoological Survey of India, Occasional Paper, 175, i-xxix + 366 pp.
Kottelat, M. (2013). The fishes of the inland waters of southeast Asia: a catalogue and core bibliography of the fishes known to occur in freshwaters, mangroves and estuaries. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement, 27, 663 pp.
Zhu, S.-Q. (1995). Synopsis of freshwater fishes of China. Jiangsu Science and Technology Publishing House, Nanjing, i-v + 549 pp. (In Chinese)
Kullander, S. O., F. Fang, F., Delling, B., Åhlander, E. (1999). The fishes of the Kashmir Valley. In: L. Nyman (ed). River Jhelum, Kashmir Valley. Impacts on the aquatic environment. Swedmar, Göteborg, 99–167.
Zhang, C.-G., Zhao, Y.-H. et al. (2016). Species Diversity and Distribution of Inland Fishes in China. Science Press, Beijing, China, i-viii + 284 pp. (In Chinese)
Çiçek, E., Eagderi, S., Sungur, S. (2021). Schizothorax prophylax (Pietschmann, 1933) and Capoeta mauricii Küçük, Turan, Şahin & Gülle, 2009, junior synonyms of Capoeta pestai (Pietschmann, 1933). Spixiana, 44 (2), 203–208.
Sheraliev, B., Peng, Z. (2021). Molecular diversity of Uzbekistanʼs fishes assessed with DNA barcoding. Scientific Reports, 11, e16894.
Artaev, O., Thoni, R., Mirzoev, N., Levin, B. (2025). Ichthyofauna of Tajikistan: Diversity and Changes over the Past Century. American Museum Novitates, № 4032, 55 pp