Caleb McMahan
Background
I grew up in upstate South Carolina and have always had an interest in the outdoors. I received my bachelor’s degree from Erskine College, South Carolina. In August 2007 I moved to Louisiana to start graduate school, and I’m currently a first year Master’s student in Dr. Kyle Piller’s Lab.
Education
M.S., (In Progress) Biological Sciences, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, LA
B.S., (May 2007) Biology, Erskine College, SC
Honors Thesis: “Geographic Variation in the Morphology of Hemidactylus bowringii in Myanmar and Yunnan, China” [in collaboration with George Zug, Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History]
Research Interests
My research interests are broadly in phylogenetic systematics and evolutionary ecology. I focus on fishes and amphibians & reptiles, using molecular and morphological techniques for studying evolutionary relationships among taxa.
Current Projects
Genetic Differentiation in Mexican Populations of Agonostomus monticola
Agonostomus monticola (Mountain Mullet) is a member of the family Mugilidae and occurs along the eastern and western coasts of Mexico, as well as along Central and South America. I am currently looking at genetic differentiation in Mexican populations of this species for my thesis project.
Geographic Distribution of Amphibians and Reptiles in South Carolina
The herpetofauna of South Carolina, particularly of the Piedmont and portions of the Coastal Plain have, to some extent, been overlooked. Few specimen vouchers exist for these areas to document the occurrence of amphibians and reptiles, and the majority of the vouchers that do exist are from the late 1800s and early-mid 1900s. The purpose of this study is to document the species of amphibians and reptiles occurring in various regions of the state. This project is in collaboration with Mary Lang Edwards, Dept. of Biology, Erskine College and Jason Broach, Dept. of Fisheries and Allied Aquaculture, Auburn University.
Publications:
McMahan, C.D. & G.R. Zug. In Review. Burmese Hemidactylus (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae): Geographic Variation in the Morphology of Hemidactylus bowringii in Myanmar and Yunnan, China.
McMahan, C.D. & M.L. Edwards. In Prep. Checklist of Amphibians and Reptiles from Abbeville County South Carolina, with a Report of New Records.
Broach, J.S. & C.D. McMahan. In Prep. New Records of Amphibians and Reptiles from Florence County, South Carolina.
Contact Information:
Caleb D. McMahan
Department of Biological Sciences
Southeastern Louisiana University
SLU 10736
Hammond, LA 70402