Current
Research
James L. Van Tassell
Current
Projects include:
A
review of the phylogeny of the American Seven-spined gobies
along with Rafa Zardoya and Lukas Ruber at the Museo de Ciencias
Naturales, Madrid. The study includes morphology, ecology, and
mtDNA of the group.
Systematics
and biogeography of the gobiid fauna of Macaronesia.
Describing
new species in the genera Chromogobius(published in Copeia 2001no.4),
Akko, and a new genus from the Canary Islands.
Production
of this web site.
Ph.D.
Dissertation 1998
Abstract
The
tribe Gobiosomini contains 24 of the 29 New World genera. The
most speciose genus Gobiosoma has been divided into numerous
subgenera by Ginsburg, Böhlke and Robins, and Hoese. Ginsburg
erected numerous subgenera as temporary holding areas until
additional information became available to ascertain relationships.
Böhlke and Robins investigated the Atlantic species with
comments on Pacific relatives, and Hoese studied the Pacific
species. This study presents a phylogenetic analysis of
all species in the Atlantic and Pacific with comments on the
tribe Gobiosomini and genera related to Gobiosoma.
Fourty-five
characters were incorporated into the study, including characters
used to separate the subgenera by the previous authors and new
characters from cheek myology, sensory papillae, pelvic fin
ray structure, and the arrangement of upper jaw teeth. Species
previously placed in Gobiosoma can now be assigned to
four genera with no subgenera. The subgenera Austrogobius,
Garmannia, and Gobiosoma are divided into the
monophyletic genus Gobiosoma and a paraphyletic genus
Gobiolepis. The subgenera Tigrigobius and
Elacatinus are elevated to genera and the monophyly of
Elacatinus is established.
The
restricted definition of the tribe Gobiosomini is supported
with additional characters from sensory papillae patterns and
cheek myology. Genera included in the tribe are Aboma,
Aruma, Barbulifer, Chriolepis, Elacatinus,
Eleotrica, Enypnias, Evermannichthys, Ginsburgellus,
Gobiolepis, Gobiosoma, Gobulus, Gymneleotris,
Nes, Pariah, Psilotris, Pycnomma,
Risor, Robinsichthys, Tigrigobius, and
Varicus.
