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Richard Mayden, Ph.D.

Professor; W. S. Barnickle Endowed Chair of Natural Sciences
Biology

Courses Taught

Phylogenetic Systematics, Scientific Communications, Biodiversity for Non-Scientists, Biology of Fishes, Current Topics in Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, Species and Speciation, Vertebrate Natural History

Education

Ph.D., University of Kansas

Research Interests

Mayden's research interests are diverse, ranging from theoretical aspects of species, concepts and systematics, inventory of fishes, discovery and descriptions of species, revisionary studies, molecular and morphological evolution, and phylogenetic systematics. All of this research focuses on freshwater fish diversity and involves both morphological and molecular methods. Using phylogenetic trees, Mayden maintains an interest in examining both historical biogeography and the evolution of various aspects of the biology, ecology, and morphology of species. In addition to North America, his research has included species and ecosystems in Asia, Chile, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Mexico. For many years now Mayden has been interested in the diversity, classification, phylogeny, and evolution of Cypriniformes fishes, the largest group of freshwater species. Two large projects investigating these fishes include the Cypriniformes Tree of Life International Collaborative research initiative and the Collaborative All Cypriniformes Species. Both of these long-term studies have involved multiple USA collaborators and collaborative researchers around the world. Along with numerous collaborators in the USA and Mexico, Mayden is also involved in a long-term study of freshwater species and the aquatic biodiversity of the northwestern Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico.

Labs and Facilities

Mayden usually can provide research internships for two to three undergraduate students in his lab over the course of an academic year. He is also interested in working with new graduate students and postdoctoral researchers that share his general research interests.

Publications and Media Placements

Levin, B., E. Simonov, B. K. Gabrielyan, R. L. Mayden, S. M. Rastorguev, H. R. Robenyan, F. S. Sharko, and A. V. Nedoluzhko. Caucasian treasure: genomics sheds light on the evolution of half-extinct Sevan trout, Salmo ischchan, species flock. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107346.

Yang, L., G. J. P. Naylor, and R. L. Mayden. 2022 (published online in 2021). Deciphering reticulate evolution of the largest group of polyploid vertebrates, the Subfamily Cyprininae (Teleostei: Cypriniformes). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107323 

Tang, K. L., M. L. J. Stiassny, R. L. Mayden, and R. Desalle. 2021. Systematics of Damselfishes. Ichthyology and Herpetology 109 (1):258-318. 

Garcia-De Leon, F. J., C. B. Dillman, A. De Los Santos Camaren, A. L. George, F. Camarena-Rosales, I. De Los Garriga-Sosa, and R. L. Mayden. 2020. First steps towards the identification of evolutionary significant units in Mexican native trout: An assessment of microsatellite variation. Environmental Biology of Fishes https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-020-00979-4. 

Ren Q., L. Yang, C.-H. Chang, R. L. Mayden. 2020. Molecular phylogeny and divergence of major clades in the Puntius complex (Teleostei: Cypriniformes). Zool Scr. 2020;00:1–13. https://doi.org/10.1111/zsc.12442. Zoologica Scripta 697-709. 

Tao, W., L. Yang, R. L. Mayden, and S. He. 2019. Phylogenetic relationships of Cypriniformes and plasticity of pharyngeal teeth in the adaptive radiation of cyprinids. Science China, Life Sciences, Thematic Issue on Evolution of genes and genomes. Science China Life Science 62(4):553-565.

Ren, Qiu, and R. L. Mayden. 2019. Comparative phylogenetics of the Asian genus “Puntius” and relatives (Cypriniformes; Cyprinidae): Explorations into the potential impacts of taxon and character sampling. I3 Biodiversity 3:301-319.

Schönhuth, S., R. B. Gagne, F. Aldak, D. A. Neely, R. L. Mayden, and M. J. Blum. 2018. Phylogeography of the widespread creek chub Semotilus atromaculatus (Cypriniformes: Leuciscidae). Journal of Fish Biology 93:778–791. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.13778.

Schönhuth, S., J. Vukic, R. Sanda, L. Yang, and R. L. Mayden. 2018. Phylogenetic relationships and classification of the Holarctic family Leuciscidae (Cypriniformes: Cyprinoidei). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 127: 781-799.

Bagley J. C., P. M. Harris, R. L. Mayden. 2018. Phylogeny, temporal diversification, and conflicting relationships of suckers (Cypriniformes: Catostomidae) inferred from multiple data types and fossil-calibrated divergence dating. PeerJ 6:e5168 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5168.

Levin, B. A., E. Simonov, S. M. Rastorguev, E. S. Boulygina, F. S. Sharkoe S. V. Tsygankova, B. K. Gabrielyan, H. R. Roubenyan, R. L. Mayden, and A. V. Nedoluzhko. In press. High-throughput sequencing of the mitochondrial genomes from archived fish scales: an example of the endangered putative species flock of Sevan trout Salmo ischchan. Hydrobiology 822 (1):217-228.

Dai, W., M. Zou, L. Yang, K. Du, W. Chen, Y. Shen, R. L. Mayden, S. He. 2018. Phylogenomic perspective on the relationships and evolutionary history of the major Otocephalan lineages. Nature Scientific Reports (2018) 8:205.

Echelle, A. A., N. J. Lang, W. C. Borden, M. R. Schwemm, C. W. Hoagstrom, D. J. Eisenhour, R. L. Mayden, and R. A. Van Den Bussche. 2018. Molecular systematics of the North American chub genus Macrhybopsis (Teleostei: Cyprinidae). Zootaxa 4375 (4): 537-554.

Halimeh, Z., R. E. Hamid, A. Gholamhosseini, B. Japoshvili, M. Ozlung, and R. L. Mayden. 2017. Diversity, mitochondrial phylogeny and ichthyogeography of the Capoeta capoeta complex (Teleostei: Cyprinidae). Hydrobiologia 806 (1): 363-409. DOI : 10.1007/s10750-017-3375-0

Arunachalam, M., C. Vijayakumar, and R. L. Mayden. 2017. Two new species of Psilorhynchus (Teleostei: Psilorhynchidae) from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, India. FishTaxa 2(4): 210-225.

Gilbert, C. R., R. L. Mayden, and S. L. Powers. 2017. Morphological and genetic evolution in eastern populations of the Macrhybopsis aestivalis complex (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae), with the descriptions of four new species. Zootaxa 4247 (5): 501-555

Hirt, M. V., G. Arratia, W.-J. Chen, R. L. Mayden, K. Tang, R. M. Wood, A. Simons. 2017. The Effects of Gene Choice, Base Composition, and Rate Heterogeneity on Inference and Estimates of Divergence Times in Cypriniformes. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 2017,121: 319-339.

Ren, Q., and R. L. Mayden. 2016. Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of African diploid barbs "Barbus" and allies in Africa and Asia (Teleostei: Cypriniformes). Zoologica Scripta DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12177

Glotzbecker, G. J. A. Fernando, R. E. Broughton, D. A. Neely, R. L. Mayden, and M. J. Blum. 2016. Geographic independence and phylogenetic diversity of Red Shiner introductions. Conservation Genetics doi:10.1007/s10592-016-0822-9.

Arunachalam, M., Chinnaraja, S., and R.L. Mayden. 2016. Remarkable Rediscovery of Barbus(=Hypselobarbus) mussullah (Sykes) after 175 years of hiatus and description of a new species of Hypselobarbus Bleeker from peninsular India (Cyprinidae: Cypriniformes). FishTaxa 2016 (1): 1-13.

Beshera, K.A., P.M. Harris, and R. L. Mayden. 2016. Novel evolutionary lineages in Labeobarbus (Cyprinidae) based on phylogenetic analyses of mtDNA sequences. Zootaxa 4093 (3): 363-381.

Ruiz-Campos, G., S. Sánchez-Gonzales, R. L. Mayden, and A. Varela-Romero. 2016. Meristic and morphometric comparison of an undescribed sucker of the Rio Culiacan (Catostomus sp.) and Yaqui sucker (Catostomus bernardini) from northwest Mexico (Catostomidae, Teleostei). Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 87:380-389. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rmb.2015.11.004

Brooke E., A. Abadía-Cardoso, J. B. Dunham, F. J. García-De León, R. E. Gresswell, A. Ruiz Luna, E. B. Taylor, B. B. Shepard, R. Al-chokhachy, C. C. Muhlfeld, K. R. Bestgen, K. Rogers, M. A. Escalante, E. Keeley, G. Temple, J. Williams, K. Matthews, R. Pierce, R. L. Mayden, R. Kovach, J. C. Garza, and K. D. Fausch. 2016. Conservation of native Pacific trout diversity in western North America. Fisheries 41(6): 286-294

Chuanjiang Zhou, C., X. Wang, X. Gan, Y. Zhang, D. M. Irwin, R. L. Mayden, and S. He. 2016. Diversification of Sisorid catfishes (Teleostei: Siluriformes) in relation to the orogeny of the Himalayan Plateau. Science Bulletin 61, Life and Medical Sciences, Science China (11):1-12.

Yang, L., S. Tetsuya, M. V. Hirt, E. Pasco-Viel, M. Arunachalam, J. Li; X. Wang, J. Freyhof, K. Saitoh, A. M. Simons, M. Miya, S. He, R. L. Mayden. 2015. Phylogeny and Polyploidy: Resolving the Classification of Cyprinine Fishes (Teleostei: Cypriniformes). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 85: 97-116.

Mayden, R. L. and J. S. Allen. 2015. Phylogeography of Pteronotropis signipinnis, P. euryzonus, and the P. hypselopterus complex (Teleostei: Cypriniformes), with comments on diversity and history of the Gulf and Atlantic coastal streams. BioMed Research International, vol. 2015, Article ID 675260, 25 pages. doi:10.1155/2015/675260.

Mayden, R. L. and J. S. Allen. 2015. Molecular Systematics of the Phoxinin Genus Pteronotropis (Otophysi: Cypriniformes). BioMed Research International, vol. 2015, Article ID 298658, 8 pages, 2015. doi:10.1155/2015/298658.

Thoni, R. J. and R. L. Mayden. 2015. Garra robertsi, a new cyprinid (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) fish species from Borneo. Zootaxa 3985 (2): 284-290

Abadía-Cardoso, A., J. C. Garza, R. L. Mayden, F. J. García de León. 2015. Genetic Structure of Pacific Trout at the Extreme Southern End of Their Native Range. PloS One 10(10): e0141775, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0141775

Arunachalam, M., S. Chinnaraja, and R. L. Mayden. 2015. New species of Hypselobarbus (Cyprinidae: Cypriniformes) from Cauvery River Basin, South India. International Journal of Pure and Applied Zoology Volume 4, Issue 1: 99-106.

Pasco-Viel, E., L. Yang, M. Veran, V. Balter, R. L Mayden, V. Laudet, and L. Viriot. 2014. Stability versus diversity of the dentition during evolutionary radiation in cyprinine fish. Proc. R. Soc. B 281: 20132688. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.2688.

Arunachalam, M., R. Manickam, P. Malaiammal, and R. L. Mayden. 2014. New species of Aborichthys(Cypriniformes: Balitoridae) from Arunachal Pradesh, India. Species 7 (18):33-47.

Chen, W.-J., S. Lavoue, L. B. Beheregaray, and R. L. Mayden. 2014. Historical biogeography of a new antitropical clade of temperate freshwater fishes. Journal of Biogeography 41:1806-1818.

Escalante M. A., F. J. García-de-León, C. B. Dillman, A. de los Santos Camarillo, A. George, I. de los A. Barriga-Sosa, A. Ruiz-Luna, R. L. Mayden and S. Manel..2014. Genetic introgression of cultured Rainbow Trout in Mexican Native Trout Complex. Conservation Genetics 1566-0621; http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10592-014-0599-7.

Arunachalam M, S. Nandagopal, and R. L. Mayden. 2014. Two new species of Garra from Mizoram, India (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) and a general comparative analyses of morphological diagnoses among species of Garra. Species. Journal of Fisheries and Aquaculture 4(3): 121-138. ISSN: 0976-9927 & E-ISSN: 0976-9935.

Unmack, P. J., T. E.Dowling, N. J. Laitinen, C. L. Secor, R. L. Mayden, D. K. Shiozawa and G. R. Smith. 2014. Influence of introgression and geological processes on phylogenetic relationships of western North American mountain suckers (Pantosteus, Catostomidae). PLoS One, 9(3): e90061

Schonhuth, S., L. Lozano-Vilano, A. Perdices, H. Espinosa, and R. L. Mayden. 2014. Phylogeny, genetic diversity, and phylogeography of the genus Codoma (Teleostei, Cyprinidae). Zoologica Scripta Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences doi:10.1111/zsc.12083.

Chang, C.-H., L. Fan, K.-T. Shao, Y.-S. Lin, M., T. M. S. Kim, H. Koo, W. Kim, J.-S. Lee, H. Shunping, C. Smith, M. Reichard, M. Miya, T. Sado, K. Uehara, S. Lavoué, W.-J. Chen, and R. L. Mayden. 2014. Phylogenetic relationships of Acheilognathidae (Cypriniformes: Cyprinoidea) as revealed from evidence of both nuclear and mitochondrial gene sequence variation: Evidence for necessary taxonomic revision in the family and the identification of cryptic species. Mol. Phy. Evol. 81:182-194.

Li, J., X. Li, and R. L. Mayden. 2014. Sinocyclocheilus R. L. Mayden. 2014. Sinocyclocheilus brevifinus(Teleostei: Cyprinidae), a new species of cavefish from Guangxi, China. Zootaxa 3873(1):37-48. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.3873.1.3.

Chen, W.-J., F. Santini, G. Carnevale, J.-N. Chen G. Carnevale S.-H. Liu, S. Lavoué, and R. L. Mayden. 2014. New insights on early evolution of spiny-rayed fishes (Teleostei: Acanthomorpha). Frontiers Marine Science, section Marine Systematics and Taxonomy. Frontiers in Marine Science 53:1-17.

Tang, K. L., D. N. Lumbantobing, and R. L. Mayden. 2013. The phylogenetic placement of Oxygaster(Teleostei: Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) and the taxonomic status of the family-group name Oxygastrinae, Bleeker 1860. Copeia 2013:13-22.

Chen, W. J., S. Lavoué, and R. L. Mayden. 2013. Evolutionary origin and early biogeography of otophysan fishes (Ostariophysi: Teleostei). Evolution DOI: 10.1111/evo.12104.

Mayden, R. L. 2013. Species, Trees, Characters, and Concepts: Ongoing Issues, Diverse Ideologies, and a Time for Reflection and Change, p. 171-191. In: I. Y. Pavlinov (Ed) (ISBN 978-953-51-0957-0). The Species Problem - Ongoing Issues. InTech, Open Access. http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/55046.

Tao, W., R. L. Mayden, and H. Shunping. 2013. Remarkable Phylogenetic Resolution of the Most Complex Clade of Cyprinidae (Teleostei: Cypriniformes): A Proof of Concept of Homology Assessment and Partitioning Sequence Data Integrated with Mixed Model Bayesian Analyses. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 66(3):603-616. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2012.09.024..

April, J., R. H. Hanner, R. L. Mayden and L. Bernatchez. 2013. Metabolic Rate and Climatic Fluctuations Shape Continental Wide Pattern of Genetic Divergence and Biodiversity in Fishes. PLOS One DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070296.

Garcıa-De-Leon F., J. O. Adrian Lozano-Garza, R. L. Mayden, R. Delgado-Vega, F. Camarena-Rosales, G. Ruiz-Campos, M. A. Escalante-Sa´nchez, A. Ruiz-Luna, M. Angel Del Rı´o-Portilla, I. de los A. Barriga-Sosa, G. Fabiola Arcos-Ortega, and Carmen Paniagua-Chavez. 2013. Isolation and characterization of 17 tetranucleotide microsatellite loci in the Mexican golden trout (Oncorhynchus chrysogaster, Needham & Gard 1964) derived from 454 pyrosequencing. Conservation Genetic Resources (DOI 10.1007/s12686-013-9956-y).

Schönhuth, S., Perdices, A., Lozano-Vilano, L., Garcia de Leon, F., Espinosa, H. and R.L.Mayden. 2013. Phylogenetic relationships of North American western chubs of the genus Gila (Cyprinidae, Teleostei), with emphasis on southern species. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2013.09.021.

Arunachalam M, S. Nandagopal, and R. L. Mayden. 2013. Morphological diagnoses of Garra (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) from north-eastern India with four new species descriptions from Brahmaputra River. Journal of Fisheries and Aquaculture. 4(3): 121-138. ISSN: 0976-9927 & E-ISSN: 0976-9935.

Conway, K. W., N. Lujan, J. G. Lundberg, R. L. Mayden, and D. S. Siegel. 2012. Microanatomy of the paired-fin pads of ostariophysan fishes (Teleostei: Ostariophysi). Journal of Morphology 273 (10):1127-1149.

Chen, W.-J., and R. L. Mayden. 2012. Phylogeny of suckers (Teleostei: Cypriniformes: Catostomidae): further evidence of relationships provided by the single-copy nuclear gene IRBP2. Zootaxa 3586: 195-210.

Yang, L., M. V. Hirt, T. Sado, M. Arunachalm, R. Manickam, K. L. Tang, A. S. Simons, H-H Wu, R L. Mayden,and M. Miya. 2012. Phylogenetic placements of the barbin genera Discherodontus, Chagunius, and Hypselobarbus in the subfamily Cyprininae (Teleostei: Cypriniformes) and their relationships with other barbins. Zootaxa 3586: 26-40.

Layman, S. R., and R. L. Mayden. 2012. Morphological diversity and phylogenetics of the Subgenus Doration(Percidae: Etheostoma), with descriptions of five new species. Bulletin Alabama Museum of Natural History 30:1-75.

Wang, X., X Gang, J. Li, R. L. Mayden, and S. He. 2012. Cyprinid phylogeny based on Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses of partitioned data: implications for Cyprinidae systematics. Science China, Life Sciences Research Paper 55(9):761-773.

Yang, L., M. Arunachalam, T. Sado, B. A Levin, A. S. Golubtsov, J. Freyhof, J. P. Friel, W.-J. Chen, M. V. Hirt, R. Manickam, M. K. Agnew, A. M. Simons, K. Saitoh, M. Miya, R. L. Mayden, and S.He. 2012. Molecular phylogeny of the cyprinid tribe Labeonini (Teleostei: Cypriniformes). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 65 (2012) 362-379. 

Liu S.-Q., R. L. Mayden, J.-B. Zhang, D. Yu, Q-Y. Tang, X. Deng and H.-Z. Liu. 2012. Phylogenetic relationships of the Cobitoidea (Teleostei: Cypriniformes) inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear genes with analyses of gene evolution. Gene 508 (2012) 60-72.

Min, R, Chen, X.-Y., Yang, J.-X., R. Winterbottom, and R. L. Mayden. 2012. Phylogenetic Relationships of loaches of the Genus Homatula (Balitoridae: Nemacheilinae), with Special Reference to the Biogeographic History around Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. Zootaxa 3586: 78-94.

Zohrah, S., and R. L. Mayden. 2012. Cypriniformes of Borneo (Actinopterygii, Otophysi): An Extraordinary Fauna for Integrated Studies on Diversity, Systematics, Evolution, Ecology, and Conservation. Zootaxa 3586: 359-376.