Dr. Heidi M. Banford Temporary Assistant Professor Biogeography and Ichthyology hbanford@westga.edu 678-839-4034

• Ph.D. in Marine Science from College of William and Mary.
• M.A. in Marine Science from College of William and Mary.
• B.S. with an emphasis in Natural Sciences from The Evergreen State College.

With broad interests in systematics and biogeography, emphasizing ichthyology, I have a number of ongoing research projects that span freshwater and marine environments. My current investigations are in spatial and temporal diversity of Neotropical freshwater and marine taxa utilizing independent morphological and molecular markers. One area of research is in the phylogeography and diversity of Neotropical freshwater fishes. I am simultaneously examining the biogeographic history of three genera of fishes (Characidae: Astyanax, Bramochrax and Hyphessobrycon) in lower Central America while undertaking a morphological revision of this fishes’ taxonomy and systematics. The complex, but well described, geological history of the Central American isthmian region affords an opportunity to hypothesize and test mechanisms of vicariance and dispersal in these fishes across a dynamic landscape. A second area of emphasis is to explore the phylogenetic histories of putatively monophyletic faunal assemblages that are distributed across the eastern Pacific /eastern Atlantic marine biogeographic track in an effort to test common biogeographic scenarios. And finally, alpha-taxaonomic descriptions are underway for additional species of New World halfbeak fishes (Hemiramphidae).

• Biol 1010 Fundamentals of Biology
• Biol 1010L Fundamentals of Biology Lab
• Biol 2130 Sophomore Biology Seminar
• Biol 2134L Molecular Cell Biology Lab
• Biol 4245 Ichthyology
• Biol 4984 Senior Biology Seminar

• Banford, H. M., E. Bermingham, B.B. Collette. 2004. Molecular phylogenetics and biogeography of needlesfishes (Belonidae: Strongylura and Tylosurus): Perspectives on New World marine speciation. Mol. Phylogen. Evol. 31:833-851.



• Banford, H.M. and B.B. Collette. 2001. A new species of halfbeak, Hyporhamphus naos (Beloniformes: Hemiramphidae), from the tropical eastern Pacific. Revista Biol. Trop. 49(1):39-49.



• Collette, B.B. and H.M. Banford. 2001. Status of the eastern Pacific needlefish Tylosurus pacificus (Steindachner, 1876) (Beloniformes: Belonidae). Revista Biol. Trop. 49(1):51-57.



• Banford, H.M., E. Bermingham, B.B. Collette, and S.S. McCafferty. 1999. Phylogenetic systematics of the Scomberomorus regalis species group (Teleostei: Scombridae): molecules, morphology and biogeography. Copeia 1999(3):596-613.



• Bermingham, E., H. Banford, A. P. Martin and V. Aswani. 1997. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Neotropical Fish Collections. Pp 37 -38 In: L. Malabarba (ed.), Neotropical Fish Collections. Museu de Ciencias e Tecnologia, PUCTS, Puerto Alegre, Brazil.



• Banford, H.M. and B.B. Collette. 1993. Hyporhamphus meeki, a new species of halfbeak (Teleostei: Hemiramphidae) from the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 106(2):369-384.