Dr. Luke Tornabene

Luke has recently received his Ph.D. in marine Biology, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

Research Interests
My wider interests include the biology and evolution of fishes. Currently I am particularly interested in the systematics of gobies and sleepers, at the species level as well as higher levels of classification. I have a strong interest in molecular phylogenetics and phylogeography, particularly in Eastern Pacific/Western Atlantic species groups. My current research projects include: ecologically driven speciation and adaptive radiation in the estuarine goby genera Ctenogobius, Microgobius and Gobiosoma; a study on the diversity and phylogenetics of the goby genus Bathygobius, using a morphological and molecular approach; systematics of the genera Bollmannia, Microgobius, and allied species; phylogenetic relationships of gobionelline gobies.

Biography
I was born and raised on the south shore of Long Island, New York. Living ten minutes from Fire Island, I spent many weekends on the beach and enjoying the Great South Bay and surrounding coastal waters. My family instilled in me a love and curiosity for nature, especially the marine world, and encouraged me to follow my dreams in college and pursue my love of biology and marine science. As an undergraduate at Hofstra I became interested in systematics of fishes working with James Van Tassell of the American Museum of Natural History. My primary project was a review of Atlantic species the goby genus Bollmannia, however I also worked on describing a new species of Microgobius from Pacific Panama and helped Van Tassell and Ross Robertson of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute on their Shorefishes of the Greater Carribbean: Online Information System. For this latter project I helped collect, photograph and identify fish from localities throughout the western Atlantic for an interactive electronic field guide. To date I have conducted field work in the continental United States (New York, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, Texas), Puerto Rico, Ecuador/Galapagos Islands, Costa Rica, Panama, Barbados and French Polynesia. In 2010 I completed my master's degree here at Texas A&M Corpus Christi and I am currently pursuing my ongoing interest in goby systematics here as a Ph.D. student [recently completed, 2014]. For more information about my undergraduate research, visit the link below. When not conducting field research or working in the lab, I am typically following the New York Mets or the New York Rangers, depending on the time of year. I also have an unhealthy addiction to saltwater angling and kayaking.