People

Jonathan (Jon) W. Armbruster, Ph.D. 1997, University of Illinois

Director Auburn University Museum of Natural History, Professor and Curator of Fishes 


Research: systematics, evolutionary ecology, and morphology of loricariid catfishes, cavefishes and minnows.

Akila Abesinghe

Ph.D. Student 


Research: systematics of bagrid catfishes, invasion of suckermouth armored catfishes in Sri Lanka

Ben Allen

MS Student 


Research: TBD

Jordan Sykes

MS Student 


Research: TBD

David Werneke

Collection Manager, Fishes, Auburn University Museum of Natural History 


Research: Ecology of North American Fishes, Systematics

Courtney Weyand

Ph.D. Candidate


Research: Taxonomy and Systematics of North American Freshwater Fishes

Carly Woodfin

Ph.D. Student


Research: Discipline Based Educational Research, Histology

Former Students


Daniel Akin. August 2019-August 2022. Descriptions and Phylogenetic Relationships of the Guiana Shield Pencil Catfishes.


Carrie Allison, MS (nonthesis), August 2001-August 2003, a guide to the loricariids of the Rupununi District, Guyana.

Ricardo Betancur, Ph.D., August 2004 – May 2009. Systematics and evolutionary history of sea catfishes (Siluriformes: Ariidae).

Corinthia Black, Ph.D. May 2017-August 2022. Evolutionary Ecology of Loricariid Catfishes.


Edward Buress, Ph.D. August 2012-August 2017. Patterns and rate of ecological diversification among Neotropical cichlid fishes

Justin D. Evans, MS, June 1999 - May 2002. Taxonomic and phylogenetic assessment of the Hemiacistrus annectens group by morphometric and molecular methods (Teleostei: Loricariidae)

Shobnom Ferdous, Ph.D., August 2004 – December 2014. Geometric Morphometrics and Phylogeny of the Catfish genus Mystus Scopoli (Siluriformes:Bagridae) and North American Cyprinids (Cypriniformes).

Pamela Hart, MS, May 2013-August 2016. Diversity and Conservation of the Southern Cavefish, Typhlichthys subterraneus.

Malorie Hayes, Ph.D. August 2011-August 2020. Molecular Investigations of the Diversity of Freshwater Fishes across Three Continents.


Tobit Liyandja, MS. August 2016-August 2018. Body shape evolution of African/Asian minnows of the genus LabeoCuvier 1817 (Cyprinidae, Labeonini) and variations in Labeo parvus.

Nathan Lujan, Ph.D., August 2002 – May 2009. Jaw morpho-functional diversity, trophic ecology, and historical biogeography of the neotropical suckermouth armored catfishes (Siluriformes: Loricariidae). 

Marcelo Melo, Ph.D., August 2004 – August 2009. Taxonomic and phylogenetic revision of the family Chiasmodontidae (Perciformes:Acanthomorpha).

Thomas Paul Pera, MS, August 2000 - December 2004. Taxonomic assessment of the silverjaw minnow, Notropis buccatus Cope (Cyprinidae).

Keith Ray, MS., August 2006 – December 2010. Redescription and morphometric analysis of Isorineloricaria (Siluriformes: Loricariidae).

Lesley de Souza, Ph.D., August 2003 – December 2011. Hydrological link between the Amazon River Basin and the eastern Guiana Shield on the Neotropical ichthyofauna.

Charles Stephen, Ph.D. August 2014-May 2022. Gene flow, morphology, and taxonomic revision of cave-obligate Hesperochernes pseudoscorpions. 

Carla C. Stout, Ph.D. August 2010-May 2017. Minnows and molecules: resolving the broad and fine-scale evolutionary patterns of Cypriniformes.

Milton Tan, Ph.D., August 2009-August 2016. Evolution of Miniaturization and Paedomorphism in Fishes of the Order Cypriniformes.

David C. Werneke, MS, August 2000 - May 2005. Variation within the genus Labidesthes Cope (Atheriniformes: Atherinopsidae) and its influence on the validity of the fiery-finned silverside (Labidesthes vanhyingi Bean and Reid.

Paul Wieczorek, MS, August 2012-December 2015. Ecomorphological analysis of cyprinids in the Mobile Bay Basin

Jennifer M. Weber. August 2015-May 2018. Variation in morphology and physiology of introduced populations of the Virile Crayfish, Faxonius virilis Hagen 1870.