Publications

Hemraj-Naraine, D*., Taphorn, D.B., Torres-Pineda, P., Kolmann, M.A. 2026. Ichthyofaunal diversity of the Canje River (Guyana): a distinctive lowland fauna between the Berbice and Corentyne Rivers. Journal of Fish Biology. Article Link.

Hemraj-Naraine, D*., Fontenelle, J.P., Acosta, A., Liverpool, E., Lovejoy, N.R., Kolmann, M.A. 2026. A new species of freshwater stingray (Potamotrygoninae: Myliobatiformes) from the Demerara River, Guyana. Neotropical Ichthyology. Article Link.

Huskey, S., Fletcher, K., Kolmann, M.A., Seiler, S., Kitchen, S., Hemraj-Naraine, D*., Dinan, B., Westneat, M.W. 2026. Biomechanics, muscle modeling, and the elevated bite force and tooth stress of piranhas. The Science of Nature (Naturwissenschaften). 113(22). Article Link.

Vandenberg, M.L., Heiple, Z., Kolmann, M.A., Buser, T., Summers, A.P., Meléndez-Vazquez, F., Arcila, D., Maslenikov, K.P., Tornabene, L. 2026. Phylogenomics of poachers (Agonidae) and the evolution of armor in cottoid fishes (Perciformes: Cottoidei). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 217. Article Link.

*MEENFishesLab member | **undergrad lab member

Song, Q., Kolmann, M.A., Wooley, A.K., Heath, L.B., Yakich, D.M., Motta, P.J., & Poulakis, G.R. 2025. Cranial myology of the smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata): implications for headshaking behaviors and entanglement in marine debris. Fishery Bulletin. 123(4): 261-273. Article Link.

Giles, S., Kolmann, M.A., Friedman, M. 2025. Tongue bite apparatus highlights functional innovation in a 310-million-year-old ray-finned fish. Biology Letters. Article Link.

Huie, J., Arnette, S.D., Evans, A.J., Cohen, K., Buser, T., Crawford, C.H., Kane, E.A., Kolmann, M.A. 2025. Behavioral novelties and morphological exaptation underlie trophic novelty in an anemone-feeding fish. Journal of Zoology. 327: 134-147. Article Link.

Albert, J… Kolmann, M.A., et al. (57 total authors). 2025. An ecological trait matrix of Neotropical freshwater fishes, the most diverse continental vertebrate fauna. Scientific Data. 12: 1127. Article Link.

Rosen, J*., Cohen, K., Donatelli, C.M., Summers, A.P., Crofts, S., Kolmann, M.A. 2025. Something to sink your teeth into: the mechanics of tooth indentation in frugivorous fishes. Journal of the Royal Society Interface. 22: 20240725. Article Link.

Crowell, H., Nagesan, R., Davis-Rabosky, A., Kolmann, M.A. 2025. Differential performance of aqueous- and ethylic- Lugol’s iodine stain to visualize anatomy in μCT-scanned vertebrates. Journal of Anatomy. 246(5): 678-684. Article Link.

*MEENFishesLab member | **undergrad lab member

Troyer, E.M., Evans, K.M., Goatley, C., Friedman, M., Carnevale, G., Nicholas, B., Kolmann, M.A., Bemis, K.E., Arcila, D. 2024. Evolutionary innovation accelerates morphological diversification in pufferfishes and their relatives. Evolution. 78(11): 1869–1882. Article Link.

Ramírez-Díaz, C., Kolmann, M.A., Peredo, C.M., Cruz-Escalona, V.H., Peña, R. 2024. Cranial musculature of batoids: A standardized nomenclature. Anatomical Record. 308(1): 163-179. Article Link.

Delekta, E.M*. & Kolmann, M.A. 2024. Burrowing constrains the phenotypic diversity of fossorial crayfish. Integrative & Comparative Biology. 64(5): 1454–1466. Article Link.

Kolmann, M.A., Poulin, E., Rosen, J*., Hemraj-Naraine, D*., Burns, M.D. 2024. Phenotypic convergence is stronger and more frequent in herbivorous freshwater fishes. Integrative & Comparative Biology. 64(5): 1467–1483. Article Link.

Magnuson, A**., Dean, M.N., Weaver, J., Fontenelle, J.P., Lovejoy, N.R. and Kolmann, M.A. 2024. Independent transitions to freshwater environments promote phenotypic divergence, not convergence, in stingrays. Integrative and Comparative Biology. 64(5): 1437–1453. Article Link.

*MEENFishesLab member | **undergrad lab member

Harrington, R.C., Kolmann, M.A., Day, J.J., Faircloth, B.C., Friedman, M., Near, T.J. 2023. Dispersal sweepstakes: Biotic interchange propelled air-breathing fishes across the globe. Journal of Biogeography. 51: 797–813. Article Link.

Arnette*, S.D., Simonitis, L.E., Egan, J.P., Cohen, K.E., Kolmann, M.A. 2023. True Grit? Comparative anatomy and evolution of gizzards in fishes. Journal of Anatomy. 244: 260–273. Article Link.

Lowe, A., Kolmann, M.A., Paig-Tran, M.E. 2023. How to survive a (juvenile) piranha attack: an integrative approach to evaluating predator performance. Integrative Organismal Biology. 5(1), p.obad032. Article Link.

Kolmann, M.A., Grubbs, R.D, Shah, S., Patel, H., Lovejoy, N.R. 2023. Divergent mechanisms for crushing shelled prey in parallel lineages of durophagous stingrays (Myliobatoidei). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 568: p.151939. Article Link.

Figueroa, R.T., Goodvin, D., Kolmann, M.A., Coates, M.I., Caron, A.M., Friedman, M., Giles, S. 2023. Exceptional fossil preservation and evolution of the ray-finned fish brain. Nature. 614: 486–491. Article Link.

Kolmann, M.A. & Nagesan, R., Andrews, J.V., Borstein, S., Figueroa, R.T., Singer, R., Friedman, M., López-Fernández, H. 2023. DiceCT for Fishes: Recommendations for pairing iodine contrast agents with μCT to visualize soft tissues in fishes. Journal of Fish Biology. 102(4): 893-903. Article Link.

Cohen, K., Lucanus, O., Summers, A.P., Kolmann, M.A. 2023. Lip service: Histological phenotypes correlate with diet and feeding ecology in herbivorous pacus. Anatomical Record. 306(2): 326–342. Article Link.

*MEENFishesLab member | **undergrad lab member

Evans, K.M., Buser, T.J., Larouche, O., Kolmann, M.A. 2022. Untangling the Relationship Between Developmental and Evolutionary Integration. Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology. 145: 22-27. Article Link.

32. Taphorn, D.B., Liverpool, E., Lujan, N.K… Kolmann, M.A… Armbruster, J.W. 2022. Annotated checklist of the primarily freshwater fishes of Guyana. Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Sciences of Philadelphia. 168: 1-96. Article Link.

Coronado-Franco, K., Tedesco, P.A., Kolmann, M.A., Borstein, S., Evans, K.O., Correa, S.B. 2022. Feeding habits influence species habitat associations at the landscape scale. Journal of Biogeography. 49: 2181-2192. Article Link.

Easterling, C., Kolmann, M.A., O’Donnell, M.K. 2022. The lesser-known transitions: organismal form and function across abiotic gradients. Integrative & Comparative Biology. 62(4): 829–839. Article Link.

de Brito, V., Betancur-R, R… Kolmann, M.A... Bloom, D.B. 2022. Patterns of Phenotypic Evolution Associated with Marine/Freshwater Transitions in Fishes. Integrative & Comparative Biology. 62(2): 406-423. Article Link.

Kolmann, M.A., Marquez, F.P.L., Dean, M.N., Weaver, J., Fontenelle, J.P., Lovejoy, N.R. 2022. Ecological and phenotypic diversification after a continental invasion in Neotropical freshwater stingrays. Integrative & Comparative Biology. 62: 424–440. Article Link.

*MEENFishesLab member | **undergrad lab member

Kolmann, M.A. & Kalacska, M., Lucanus, O., Sousa, L., Wainwright, D., Arroyo-Mora, P., Andrade, M. 2021. Hyperspectral data as a biodiversity screening tool can differentiate among diverse Neotropical fishes. Scientific Reports. 11: 16157. Article Link.

Fontenelle, J.P., Lovejoy, N.R., Kolmann, M.A., Marques, F.P.L. 2021. Molecular phylogeny for the Neotropical Freshwater Stingrays (Myliobatiformes: Potamotrygoninae) reveals limitations of traditional taxonomy. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 134(2): 381-401. Article Link.

Fontenelle, J.P., Marques, F.P.L., Kolmann, M.A., Lovejoy, N.R. 2021. Biogeography of the Neotropical freshwater stingrays (Myliobatiformes: Potamotrygoninae) reveals effects of continent-scale paleogeographic change and drainage evolution. Journal of Biogeography. 48: 1406–1419. Article Link.

Kolmann, M.A., Hughes, L., Hernandez, L.P., Arcila, D., Betancur, R., Sabaj, M., López-Fernández, H., Ortí, G. 2020. Phylogenomics of piranhas and pacus (Serrasalmidae) reveal how convergent diets obfuscate morphological taxonomy. Systematic Biology. 70(3): 576–592. Article Link.

Kolmann, M.A., Peixoto, T., Pfeiffenberger, J., Summers, A.P., Donatelli, C.M. 2020. Swimming and defense - competing needs across ontogeny in armored fishes (Agonidae). Journal of the Royal Society Interface. 169(17): 1-11. Article Link.

Buser, T., Donatelli, C., Boyd, O., Cortés, A., Kolmann, M.A., Luparell, J., Pfeiffenberger, J., Sidlauskas, B., Summers, A.P. 2020. The natural historian’s guide to the CT galaxy: step-by-step instructions for preparing and analyzing computed tomographic (CT) data using cross-platform, open access software. Integrative Organismal Biology. 2: obaa009. Article Link.

Kolmann, M.A., Burns, M., Ng, J., Lovejoy, N.R., Bloom, D.D. 2020. Habitat transitions alter the adaptive landscape and shape phenotypic evolution in needlefishes. Ecology & Evolution. 10(8): 3769-3783. Article Link.

Shiffman, D.S., Ajemian, M.J., Carrier, J, Daly-Engel, T.S, Davis, M., Dulvy, N.K., Grubbs, R.D., Hinojosa, N.A., Imhoff, J., Kolmann, M.A., Nash, C., Paig-Tran, E.W.M., Peele, E.E., Skubel, R.A., Wetherbee, B., Whitenack, L., Wyffels, J.T. 2020. Trends in Chondrichthyan research: An analysis of three decades of conference abstracts. Copeia. 108(1): 122-131. Article Link.

Bloom, D.D., Kolmann, M.A., Foster, K., Watrous, H. 2020. Mode of miniaturization influences body shape evolution in New World anchovies (Engraulidae). Journal of Fish Biology. 96: 194–201.Article Link.

Kolmann, M.A., Urban, P., Summers, A.P. 2020. Structure and function of the armored keel in piranhas, pacus, and their allies (Serrasalmidae). Anatomical Record. 303: 30-43. Article Link.

Buser, T., Finnegan, D., Summers, A.P., Kolmann, M.A. 2019. Have niche, will travel. New means of linking diet and ecomorphology reveals niche conservatism in marine & freshwater cottoid fishes. Integrative Organismal Biology. 1(1): p.obz023. Article Link.

Kolmann, M.A., Cohen, K., Bemis, K., Summers, A.P., Irish, F., Hernandez, L.P. 2019. Tooth and consequences: heterodonty and dental replacement in piranhas and pacus (Serrasalmidae). Evolution and Development. 21(5): 278-294. Article Link.

Huie, J., Summers, A.P., Kolmann, M.A. 2019. Body shape separates guilds of rheophilic herbivores (Myleinae: Serrasalmidae) better than feeding morphology. Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Sciences of Philadelphia. 166(1): 1-15. Article Link.

Pos, K., Farina, S., Kolmann, M.A., Gidmark, N. 2019. Pharyngeal jaws converge by similar means, not similar ends, when minnows adapt to new diet niches. Integrative and Comparative Biology. 59(2): 432-442. Article Link.

Rutledge, K.R., Summers, A.P., Kolmann, M.A. 2019. Killing them softly: ontogeny of jaw mechanics and stiffness in mollusk-feeding freshwater stingrays. Journal of Morphology. 280(6): 796-808. Article Link.

Evans, K.M., Bernt, M.J., Kolmann, M.A., Ford, K.L., Albert, J.S. 2018. Why the long face? Static allometry in the sexually dimorphic phenotypes of Neotropical electric fishes. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 186(3): 633-649. Article Link.

Kolmann, M.A., Grubbs, R.D., Huber, D.R., Fisher, R., Lovejoy, N.R., & Erickson, G.M. 2018. Intraspecific ontogenetic feeding mechanics in two populations of durophagous stingrays. Journal of Zoology. 304(4): 225-234. (journal cover) Article Link.

Kolmann, M.A., Huie, J., Evans, K.M., Summers, A.P. 2018. Specialized specialists and the narrow niche fallacy: a tale of scale-feeding fishes. Royal Society Open Science. 5(1): 171581. Selected press coverage: Newsweek, AAAS. Article Link.

Kolmann, M.A., Elbassiouny, A.A., Liverpool, E.A., & Lovejoy, N.R. 2017. DNA barcoding reveals the diversity of sharks in Guyana coastal markets. Neotropical Ichthyology. 15(4): e170097. Article Link.

Fontenelle, J.P., Loboda, T., Kolmann, M.A., de Carvalho, M.R. 2017. Angular cartilage variation and structure in freshwater stingrays, with comments on function and evolution. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 183(1): 121-142. Article Link.

Underwood, C.J., Kolmann, M.A., Ward, D.J. 2017. Paleogene origin of planktivory in the Batoidea. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 37(3): e1293068. Article Link.

Kolmann, M.A., Welch, K.C., Summers, A.P., & Lovejoy, N.R. 2016. Always chew your food: freshwater stingrays use mastication to process tough insect prey. Proceedings of the Royal Society: Part B. 283: 20161392. Press coverage: NatGeo, CBC, Science. Article Link.

Elbassiouny, A., Schott, R., Waddell, J., Kolmann, M., Lehmberg, E., Van Nynatten, A., Crampton, W., Chang, B., Lovejoy, N. 2016. Mitochondrial genomes of the South American electric knifefishes (Order Gymnotiformes). Mitochondrial DNA Part B: Resources. 1(1): 401-403. Article Link.

Kolmann, M.A., Crofts, S.B., Dean, M.N., Summers, A.P., & Lovejoy, N.R. 2015b. Morphology does not predict performance: jaw curvature and prey crushing in durophagous stingrays. Journal of Experimental Biology. 218(24): 3941-3949. (Best student paper) Article Link.

Kolmann, M.A., Huber, D.R., Motta, P.J., & Grubbs, R.D. 2015a. Feeding biomechanics of the cownose ray, Rhinoptera bonasus, over ontogeny. Journal of Anatomy. 227(3): 341-351. Article Link.

Kolmann, M.A., Huber, D.R., Dean, M.N., & Grubbs, R.D. 2014. Myological variability in a decoupled skeletal system: batoid cranial anatomy. Journal of Morphology. 275(8): 862-881. Article Link.

Kolmann, M.A., Huber, D.R. 2009. Scaling of feeding biomechanics in the horn shark Heterodontus francisci: ontogenetic constraints on durophagy. Zoology. 112(5): 351-361. Article Link.