It is widely accepted that the schizothoracine fishes originated from the Barbinae. But the subfamily Barbinae is numerous and jumbled group which comprise many subgroups (17 genera only in China). Which genus did the schizothoracine fishes originate or which group is more close to these fishes? How did these primitive barbids evolved into the schizothoracine fishes with upheaval of the Qinghai-Xizang plateau? Different or even conflicted point of views were elicited from different research field (such as cytology and conventional systematics). The fishes of the subfamily ScMzothoracinae have the small scales and they have many similar osteological characters with barbids. Some genera of Barbinae are also with small scales, such as Percocypris, Luciocyprinus and Sinocyclocheilnsyare called small-scaled barbids. To elucidate the phylogenetic relationships within ScMzothoracinae and the small-scaled barbids, and their relationships with other large-scaled and medium-scaled barbids, 6 species were chosen from different taxon as representatives of Schizothoracinae and the small-scaled barbids, together with other 4 species of barbids with large-scaled and medium-scaled barbids are selected as ingroup, 2 species belonging to subfamily Cyprininae were chosen as outgroup to determine the evolutionary polarity of the characters and to discuss the correlation within all these species and the relationships of the taxonomic groups they represent. 63 variable osteological and external characters were described and compared. The cladgrams were produced by using computer-based program PAUP (Phylogenetic Analysis Using Parsimony, Version: 4). The findings resulted from the phylogenetic analysis support the following hypotheses: 1. Character analysis shows that Schizothoracinae and small-scaled barbids, together with other 4 species belonging to subfamily Barbinae could be easily distinguished from Cyprininae species by several distinct characters. And this result can support Chen's view (1984) that Rainboth's (1996) subfamily Cyprininae should be further subdivided as subfamily Cyprininae and subfamily Barbinae. 2. Analysis results surpport that Schizothoracinae and small-scaled barbids be a monophyletic group, and their may originate from the same ancestor or close related ancestors. 3. Three species of the schizothoracine fishes resemble together, the relationships within them and with other species is stable, and this conclusion supports that the schizothoracine fishes originated from Barbinae and is one of its specialized branch. 4. Percocypris and Luciocyprinus are most related groups; they may originate from the same ancestor. 5. The schizothoracine fishes are more closed to (Percocypris + Luciocyprinus) than to Sinocyclocheilus. 6. The conclusions derived from character and systematic analysis do not support that the Percocypris and Sinocyclocheilus are the metaphase from large-scaled or medium-scaled barbids. The evolution of chromosome and that of osteological and external characters do not always parallel in Tribe Barbines. 7. By comparation, Rainboth's (1996) definition to some taxonomic taxa, such as Onychostoma, Systomus, Puntius, Poropuntius et al9 is not appropriate when applying to Chinese related taxa.
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