Sebastien Lavoue, Dr

Biodiversity in Southeast Asia is exceptionally rich, yet much of it remains scientifically undocumented. This knowledge gap hampers efforts to ensure the region’s long-term, sustainable use of biological resources, particularly in the face of rapid environmental change. At the School of Biological Sciences, my team aims to document Malaysia’s fish diversity and to investigate the ecological and historical factors that shape patterns of species richness and distribution. To achieve this, we employ cutting-edge tools and methods in comparative biology, including genetics and phylogenetics.

Research focus
Freshwater and marine fish systematics in Southeast Asia using genetics and morphology

Selected publications

1. Alshari N.F.M.A.H, Adnan M.H.I.B., Zainal Abidin D.H., Ghazali S.Z., Tan M.P., Akib N.A.M., Lavoué S., Nor S.A.M. (2025) Tracking the tropical aquatic dragon: environmental DNA (eDNA) detection for monitoring the endangered Asian arowana, Scleropages formosus (Müller and Schlegel, 1840). Hydrobiologia 852: 1759–1772 doi.org/10.1007/s10750-024-05776-z
2. Ruzman L.H., Jamaluddin J.A.F., Muhammad-Rasul A.H., Sukmono T., Khaironizam Z., Lavoué S. (2024) Integrative taxonomy of the genus Chitala (Notopteridae) in Peninsular Malaysia. Zoologica Scripta 53(5): 523–540 doi.org/10.1111/zsc.12678
3. Lavoué S., Jamaluddin J.A.F., Muhammad-Rasul A.H., Ilham-Norhakim M.L., Khaironizam Z., (2024) Mitochondrial evidence on the phylogenetic position of the Southeast Asian catfish genus Encheloclarias Myers 1937 (Clariidae): evolutionary and conservation implications. Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria 54: 235–241 doi.org/10.3897/aiep.54.122366
4. Fam Y.Q., Jamaluddin J.A.F., Muhammad-Rasul A.H., Ilham-Norhakim M.L., Rosely, N.F.N, Lavoué S. (2024) Contrasting genetic and morphological differentiation among allopatric lineages of a stenotopic miniature rasborin, Boraras maculatus, in Peninsular Malaysia. Journal of Fish Biology 104(1): 171–183 doi.org/10.1111/jfb.15572