I am an ichthyologist, teacher, and lifelong fishermen. When I am not working in the field, lab, or classroom, one might find me fishing, hiking, working in my garden, or one might not find me at all, for I also love traveling during those brief times in which money and free time are in equilibrium.
As a life long fisherman, my roots in ichthyology and aquatic ecology developed long before I had ever heard those terms.
Education:
Saint Louis University - Jan. 2012 - Dec. 2017
PhD. Dept. of Biology. Defended with distinction - Dec. 2017
Appalachian State University - Jan. 2010- May. 2011.
B.S. Degree received
Major: Biology, Ecology and Environmental Biology.
Major: Biology, Ecology and Environmental Biology.
University of California, Davis - Sept. 2006 - Dec. 2008.
Department: Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology.
Feather River College - Aug. 2003 - May. 2005.
A.S. Degree received
Major: Environmental Studies. Emphasis: Wildlife and Fisheries Management.
Publications:
Gurung, D.B., & Thoni, R. J. 2015. Fishes of Bhutan: a preliminary checklist. pp98. Kuensel Publishing ltd, Thimphu, Bhutan.
Academic publications:
Thoni, R. J. & D. B. Gurung. 2018. Morphological and molecular study of the torrent catfishes (Sisoridae: Glyptosterninae) of Bhutan including the description of five new species. Zootaxa.
Thoni, R. J., E. Simonov, O. Artaev, S. Asylbaeva, S. U. Aibek and B. A. Levin 2017.
A century in synonymy:
molecular and morphological evidence for the revalidation of Glyptosternon
osсhanini (Herzenstein, 1889) (Actinopterygii: Sisoridae). Zootaxa 4277
(no. 3): 435-442.Thoni, R. J., E. Simonov, O. Artaev, S. Asylbaeva, S. U. Aibek and B. A. Levin 2017.
Thoni, R. J., Gurung, D.B., & Mayden. 2016. A review of the genus Garra Hamilton 1822 of Bhutan, including the descriptions of two new species and three additional records (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae). Zootaxa.
Kangrang, p., Thoni, R. J., Mayden, R.L., Beamish, W.H. (2016). Garra fluviatilis, a new cyprinid (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) hillstream fish species from Kwai Noi River system, Mae Khlong basin, Thailand. Zootaxa, 4175 (4), 335-344.
Thoni, R. J, & Hart, R. 2015. Repatriating a lost name: notes on McClelland and Griffith’s Cobitis boutanensis (Cypriniformes: Nemacheilidae). Zootaxa 399 (2): 291-294. Paper.
Thoni, R. J. & Mayden, R. L. 2015. Garra robertsi, a new cyprinid (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) fish species from Borneo. Zootaxa. abstract
Thoni, R. J. & D. B. Gurung. 2014. Parachiloglanis bhutanensis, a new species of torrent catfish (Siluriformes: Sisoridae) from Bhutan. Zootaxa. abstract
Thoni, R. J., Holcomb, J., Nichols, R. and M. M. Gangloff. 2014. Effects of Small Dams on Sunfish (Perciformes: Centrarchidae) Assemblages in North Carolina Piedmont and Coastal Plain Streams. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. abstract
Thoni, R. J. 2013. Bhutan's aquatic biodiversity: a call for action. 2013. Bhutan Journal of Research and Development. Vol II. No. 1. journal issue
Oral presentations:
Thoni, R. J. 2015. Garra of Bhutan: An
introduction to the diversity, taxonomy, and ecology of Bhutan’s
most speciose genus. ASIH conference, All Cypriniformes Symposium,
2015.
Thoni, R. J. 2012. Fish photography for
non-lethal identification. Lecture. Aquatic Biodiversity Assessment
Workshop, Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environment,
Bumthang Bhutan.
Thoni, R. J. 2012. Identifying characteristics of
major Himalayan fish clades. Lecture. Aquatic Biodiversity Assessment
Workshop. Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environment,
Bumthang Bhutan.
Poster presentations:
Thoni R. J. 2015. Morphological variation within the
Catostomus plebeius complex (Cypriniformes: Catostomidae). ASIH Poster
session, 2014.
Newspaper articles:
Thoni, R. J. 2014. Rebranding the Pikeminnow: Local
fish has underserved bad rap. Feather River Bulletin. p15B. July 23.
Grants, Awards, and Honors:
Feather River College - Alumnus of the year, 2018.
Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago Il, 2017 - Special grant for collection enhancement - Ichthyological survey of Tajikistan.
National Geographic Society Committee for Research and Exploration, 2016 -P.I. - Project title "Ichthyological Exploration of Kyrgyzstan"
Feather River College Foundation Mini-grant, 2017 - For funds to take students on a multi-day field trip to learn meso-carnivore trapping techniques in the Sutter Buttes.
All Cypriniformes Species Inventory Small Grant, 2013 - For enhancing collection efforts in Bhutan.
Saint Louis University Department of Biology Graduate Research Award, 2016.
Departmental Citation - University of California, Davis - Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology - Outstanding Student Leadership
American Fisheries Society - President of Sacramento/Davis subunit, 2007 - 2008
Kokanee Power Student Scholarship for Outstanding Student in Environmental Science, 2004 and 2005
Feather River Environmental Studies Club (fresca) - President and Co-founder 2004-2005.
Employment history:
Lateral Line Aquatic Consulting - Lead Biologist - 2018 - Present. I am currently the lead ichthyologist and aquatic biologist. I design and conduct short- and long-term monitoring plans, conduct freshwater biodiversity inventories, habitat surveys, bio-blitzes, and produce species diversity indices and density estimates. I do genetic analysis using modern lab protocol, and produce data efficiently and accessibly.
Feather River College - Associate Faculty - Jan 2017 - Present
I currently teach a classes in the Department of Environmental Studies, including Intro to Environmental Studies, Intro to Environmental Science, and Wildlife Diversity and Field Techniques. This 4 unit class focuses on the diversity of vertebrate groups with a large emphasis on local fauna in Northern CA. We also have a strongly field-oriented lab, in which students learn modern field techniques for monitoring wildlife and fish.
Saint Louis University - Researcher - Jan 2012 - Present
I am currently working on a suite of projects involved in structuring phylogenetic relationships of various Asian and North American Cycprinid fishes, some of which may yet to be described species.
Appalachian State University - Researcher - April 2010 - Dec. 2011
I travel throughout Eastern North Carolina collecting fish and invertebrate samples. I use techniques such as electrofishing, seine netting, snorkeling and rod and reel sampling for fish. Sampling for aquatic invertebrates such as fresh water mussels, and crayfish involves snorkeling, wading, collecting and identifying invertibrate species, and measuring water physicochemical parameters such as pH, flow, and dissolved oxygen.
I input and analyze data using Microsoft Excel, SPSS and Sigma Plot.
California Department of Fish and Game - Scientific Aid - Nov. 2008 - Dec. 2009
I worked on a research crew collecting catch data from fishermen including: scale samples, tissue samples for laboratory genetic research, and demographic data. Knowledge and experience in fish ID and anatomy, boat and kayak use and safety, data collection, and time management were required and used daily.
United States Forest Service - Pacific Southwest Research Unit - Forestry Tech - Apr. 2008 - Sept. 2008
I was in charge of collecting data in a long-term experimental forest. I worked on several projects that examined a large suite of issues. We addressed climate change and carbon sequestration in Ponderosa Pine forests, the effects of salvage logging on plant regeneration and cavity nesting bird abundances, and many more projects. This job required living in a remote research station deep in the Lassen National Forest for several months. A strong knowledge of forest inventory and measurement skills as well as navigational tool use such as compass and map reading was required.
University California, Davis - Lab Technician/Specimen Collector - Apr. 2007 - Dec. 2007
I was hired to personally collect fish for laboratory use. I was in charge of locating bodies of water with viable populations of desired centrarchid species, capturing and transporting them alive under a scientific collecting permit. Fish were kept in the lab where feeding mechanisms were examined on high speed camera. I was also in charge of maintaining the 100+ aquaria.
East Bay Regional Parks - Interpretive Student Aid - Fremont CA - Spring 2006
My duties included leading nature walks and elementary school field trips as well as opening and closing the natural history museum and answering questions about local wildlife. I was also responsible for feeding captive reptiles in rehabilitation.
California Department of Fish and Game - Scientific Aid - Nov. 2004 - Dec. 2005
I was in charge of conducting angler surveys in rural mountain lakes. Knowledge of fish ID and public speaking and interacting was required daily. I also briefly worked on invasive species eradication using boat electrofishers, dipnets, and backpack electrofishers.
Teaching Experience:
Wildlife Diversity and Field techniques - Feather River College
Academic Writing - Royal University of Bhutan
Biology - Grade 8 Tri-Ratna Co-operative School Bungmati, Lalitpur, Nepal - Winter 2011
Earth and Environmental Science - Grades 5-7 - Tri-Ratna Co-operative school, Bungmati, Lalitpur, Nepal - Winter 2011
Tri-Ratna Cooperative School, Bungamati, Lalitpur, Nepal - Environmental Science teacher - Fall 2011 - I undertook the teaching of natural sciences to grades 5 - 9 at the tri-ratna school where science and sustainability are in the beginning stages of becoming incorporated into the entire village. The students and I developed an organic garden in which we learned about ecological relationships between plants and animals as well as the major environmental processes of gas exchange and nitrogen fixation. In the class room we covered subjects from plate-tectonics to cell structure.
University of Wisconsin Trout Lake Research Facility - Researcher - Summer 2009
I worked with Dr. Jeff Baylis and Dr. Daniel Weigmann from University of Wisconsin in Madison and Bowling Green University in Ohio respectively. I was an underwater observer of spawning behavior and habitat preference of male smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieou).
Feather River College Wild Trout Hatchery - Intern - 2003 - 2004
I learned how to rear rainbow and brown trout starting from gonadal tissue removal from adults through incubation and rearing in raceways. I learned how to deal with water contamination crises, and fish transportation and care.
Darwin Long PhD - Research Assistant - 2004
I assisted with live capture of common and Pacific loons in Morro Bay, California. As a team we extracted blood to be tested for heavy metal accumulation and banded individuals for migrational and behavioral observations
Professional Societies:
American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
American Fisheries Society
Relevant Skills:
Fish Collection:
Backpack electrofishing, boat electrofishing, seine netting, rod and reel sampling, dip netting, cast netting, purse seine, screw trapping, and minnow traps, non-invasive tissue collection (scales, fin clipping).
Lab:
DNA extraction and purification, PCR, DNA alignment, phylogenetic analysis, morphological analysis of specimens, gut content analysis, dissection, microscopy.
Observational:
Snorkeling, view scope, underwater camera (Aquaview), and Sonar (Fishfinders).
Other Field Related:
Use of dichotomous key, fish anatomy, safe fish handling, fish revival, photography and field sketching, swimming, hiking, working in rough conditions and terrain, 4wd operation, boat operation (all sizes from Kayak to 25ft power boats), use of scientific measurements and measuring devices, map interpretation and navigational/orienteering devices.
Office:
Word processing, data input on Microsoft Excel, Data analysis on Excel, SPSS, Sigma Plot, presentations using Microsoft Powerpoint, and Keynote.
Travel and Experience Abroad:
Tajikistan: During August and September 2017, I continued my research in the Tian Shan and Pamir Ranges of Central Asia. With the international group of scientists from Russia and Tajikistan, we collected fishes from multiple locations in the south, west and northern parts of the country. In doing this work and my work in Kyrgyzstan, I provided the Field Museum of Natural History with the largest collection of Tajik and Kyrgyz fishes in North America.
Kyrgyzstan: During June and July of 2016, I was the P.I. of a National Geographic Society Grant to collect fishes form Kyrgyzstan. I travelled throughout most of the country collecting fishes from a variety of lakes, rivers, and streams. I was working with a team of Russian and Kyrgyz scientists in collaboration to better understand the ichthyological diversity in the country.
Bhutan 2: I spent 5 months in 2013 living in Bhutan based in of the small village of Lobesa, but traveling through 19 of the 20 districts collecting fishes. During this time I also lectured 20 hours at the Royal University of Bhutan College of Natural Resources.
Bhutan 1: I was invited to attend and give talks at a seven day aquatic biodiversity assessment workshop in Bumthang, Bhutan. During my stay I gave talks describing the major lineages of fish in the region, and how to identify them in manner that jives with their buddhist philosophies of not harming sentient beings. I gave a special seminar on field photography methods that included a field trip and the hands on participation of attendees. After the workshop some time was spent designing field protocols and meeting government officials involved with biodiversity assessment and conservation.
Nepal: I went to Nepal as a combination of vacation, research, and volunteering. For the first 3 weeks, I traveled throughout the various geographic regions of Nepal. I went trekking, fishing and relaxed on Phewa Lake. For the next 5 weeks I spent most of my time teaching environmental science at the Tri-Ratna Co-operative School and Bungamanti. While there I also worked in a newly developed orphanage. During my spare time, I pursued professional relationships with various Fisheries biologists and officers within the Nepali Government in order to make progress on conducting research in Nepal and surrounding regions in the near future. I visited many fish research facilities and government offices.
Vietnam: I spent nearly 3 weeks traveling through the various regions in Vietnam. While there I was exposed to a drastically different cultural and ecological environment. I spent many days in the mountains, hiking and observing the changes in flora and fauna as I went from sea level to the top of the highest mountain in the country. I also stayed aboard a ship for 2 days in Ha Long Bay, where the beautiful limestone pinnacles create amazing cliff-oriented ecosystems.
Bolivia: During my 1 month stay in Bolivia I absorbed much about high elevation ecosystems as well as coping with the unpredictability of living in a country with an unstable government. I hiked, bicycled and took boats through desert regions of the Andean Plateau, cloud forests, and Amazon rainforest.
Appalachian Trail: I hiked for 5 months through the Appalachian Mountains. I covered a distance of approximately 1,500 miles from Georgia to the New Hampshire state line.
Other Travel experience:
40 US states, Canada, Mexico, Belize, Peru, Thailand, India, Sweden, German, Holland, England, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan.
Current interests:
My primary research right now is focused on inventory and descriptions of new species of various families, and uncovering phylogenetic relationships of certain groups of Cypriniformes and Silurifromes.
Other projects I am working on include investigating the effects of low head dams in North Carolina Piedmont Rivers.
Lastly I am gaining some interest in understanding the biology, ecology, evolutionary relationships and conservation of the living coelacanth species.
Other projects I am working on include investigating the effects of low head dams in North Carolina Piedmont Rivers.
Lastly I am gaining some interest in understanding the biology, ecology, evolutionary relationships and conservation of the living coelacanth species.
