Schizothorax is a genus of cyprinid fish from Central and East Asia. Their scientific name means "cloven-breast", from Ancient Greek schízeïn (σχίζειν) "to cleave" + thórax (θώραξ) "breast-plate" (see also thorax). The western species are typically referred to as marinkas from their Russian name marinka (маринка; plural: маринки marinki), while the eastern species are usually called "snowtrouts". But though 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.