Description of Astyanax species from southern Brazil

Revision of the Gymnogeophagus group G. rhabdotus (Pisces, Perciformes, Cichlidae)

- phylogeny of Clariidae (Siluriformes) - functional morphology and ontogeny of Clariidae, Loricariidae, Callichthyidae, Mochokidae - convergent morphology in Anguilliformes - molecular phylogeny of Siluriformes

Morphology of Gobioid fishes: lateral line system, osteology; (1) morphology of Ponto-Caspian gobies (w/M. Duchkowitsch); (2) morphology of east Pacific gobies (w/V. Bohacek, J. Goeschl, N. Miljkovic & G. Scattolin). Osteology of small cyprinid fishes; (3) comparision of Phoxinus phoxinus and Pseudorasbora parva (w/ M. Juette & A. Schoen), (4) early osteology of Sander lucioperca (w/ H. Keckeis, J. Löffler & A. Ott).

Phylogeny of Doradoidea (Auchenipteridae + Doradidae)

(1) Phylogenetic revisions of the Neotropical electric fish genera Gymnotus, Steatogenys, and Sternopygus using morphological data, including descriptions of 11 new species in these taxa (James Albert, William Crampton, Dean Thorsen and Kevin Hulen); (2) evolutionary analyses of electric organ discharges in these taxa (William Crampton and James Albert); (3) a three year interdisciplinary biodiversity inventory of the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, a megadiverse, vulnerable and poorly known region in the Peruvian Amazon (James Albert, William Crampton, Cristián Ituarte, Nathan Lovejoy, Carolina Noreña, Hernan Ortega, Guido Pereira, Roberto Reis, Daniel Shain, Lorgio Verdi, and Cecilia Volkmer). (4) Systematics of the Neotropical electric fish Gymnotus using morphology and molecular sequence data, and evolution of the electric organ discharge (James Albert, Will Crampton, Nathan Lovejoy and Angel Caputi

Speciation and coexistance in Corydoriadine catfish

(1) Preparation of distribution maps for every known species of shallow (to 60 m depth) reef fish in the tropical Indo-west and central Pacific using ArcView software (3,164 maps completed at 1 November 2004); (2) taxonomic studies of Indo-Pacific Apogonidae; (3) taxonomic studies of Indo-Pacific Pomacentridae; (4) freshwater fishes of New Guinea, New Britain, Solomon Islands and northern Australia, particularly melanotaeniids and gobioids; (5) taxonomic studies of coral reef fishes of Australia and SE Asia; (6) updated version of field guide to the freshwater fishes of New Guinea. Field work for late 2005 and late 2004 will include reef surveys at Fiji and Malaysia and freshwater surveys at Solomon Islands and New Britain

(1) Systematic of Blenniidae, (2) Ichthyofauna of seagrass beds in Atlantic and Indian Ocean, (3) Ichthyofauna of Deep-sea Hydrothermal vent

(1) Polishing manuscript on new, mostly deep-sea, records of fishes from off Angola with colleague Denis Tweddle. (2) new records of western Antarctic zoarcids from cruises since my 1988 paper, including 9 very rare species. (3) Description of three new Microbrotula from the Indo-Pacific. (4) starting, with Ofer Gon, on Clupeiformes of WIO for Heemstra and Randall book on shore fishes of the region. (5) Description of a new callionymid from South Africa. (6) Descriptions of new fishes from Tristan da Cunha. (7) Description of a new Bothrocara with Duane Stevenson, NMFS. (8) Description of yet another new Pachycara with Mike Mincarone from the upper slope off Brazil. Scientific editor duties consume much of my time and we hope to produce three publications in our new Smithiana series every year.

Systematics of Symphysanodontidae, Anthiinae (Serranidae), Callanthiidae, and Lutjanidae

I primarily work on the morphological systematics of the Loricariidae, and I concentrate on a new subfamily (currently being described and revised with Roberto Reis and Edson Pereira) and the Hypostominae (which now includes the former Ancistrinae). Current revisions nearing completion include Lasiancistrus, Peckoltia, Hemiancistrus and related genera. I am also working on the molecular phylogenetics of the Hemiancistrus annectens group and am revising this group (with Justin Evans) and moelcular phylogeny of loricariids (with Michael Hardman). Fieldwork for all fishes has recently been completed in Guyana and Venezuela. Specimens are largely held at Auburn University’s fish collection.. I am also a Co-PI on the NSF-funded All Catfish Species Inventory that seeks to describe all species of catfishes and that provides funding for researchers the world over to complete this task. Please visit the ACSI website at: http://clade.acnatsci.org/allcatfish/. In non-catfishes, I am elevating the Atherinopsid Labisesthes vanhyningi (with David Werneke) and describing the southern population of the cyprinid Notropis buccatus (with Paul Pera) as a new species.

Phylogeny of Menidia, Poblana, Chirostoma; systematics and biogeography of Yuriria and Goodea

(1) Fish communities in Macaronesian Archipelagos and Islands of the Gulf of Guinea; (2) fish communities from Santa Catarina State, Southern Brazil; (3) ecobiology of, and Epinephelus marginatus's populations in the Atlantic and in Mozambique; (4) coastal fish communities in Southern Mozambique; ecobiology and ethology of Epinephelus itajara in southern Brazil

Current projects include: Systematics of Subfamily Ictiobinae (including morphology and molecular techniques); Molecular systematics of Catostomidae; collaborator in Cypriniformes Tree of Life project; systematics and taxonomy of darters (Etheostomatini)

(1) Evolution of reef fishes (from Triassic to­ Present) based on fossil record; (2) functional morphology and ecology of wrasses (Labridae) (w/ P.C. Wainwright); (3) reef fish systematics using molecular techniques (inc. several genera in the Labridae, Scaridae, Chaetodontidae, Pomacanthidae) (w/ Wainwright, Westneat, P. Barber, L van Herwerden & grad students); (4) global biogeography of reef organisms (inc. corals w/ T.P. Hughes, S. Connolly); (5) the role of reef fishes in coral reef resilience (management of coral reef ecosystems not fish stocks) (w/ Hughes, Connolly & C. Folke)

(1) Phylogenetic analysis of the neotropical genus Moenkhausia (Characiformes: Characidae) with a taxonomic revision of the forms of the upper Rio Paraná (as a Ph.D. thesis). (2) Preparing for publication the systematic revision of the genus Gymnocorymbus (Characiformes: Characidae)