Research activities are currently focused on investigating the morphological and functional evolution of specialized hearing in cichlids (supported by NSF) via comparative studies of the otophysic (gas bladder-inner ear) connection in this clade, as well as neuroanatomical studies directed toward reconstructing mid- and hindbrain evolution in cichlids using 3D imaging (MRI) and traditional histological techniques. Via collaborative physiological studies with colleague Chris Braun (CUNY/Hunter College), we are directly measuring the auditory abilities of cichlids using ABR methodology.