Gerald Robert "Gerry" Allen (born March 26, 1942 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

-born

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

ichthyologist Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish ( Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of Octobe ...

. His career began in 1963, when he spent a semester at the

University of Hawaii A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

, where he also received a PhD in marine zoology in 1971. In 1972, Allen wrote his doctoral thesis on the systematics and biology of the

anemone fish Clownfish or anemonefish are fishes from the subfamily Amphiprioninae in the family Pomacentridae. Thirty species of clownfish are recognized: one in the genus ''Maroon clownfish, Premnas'', while the remaining are in the genus ''Amphiprion'' ...

. In 1974, he was made curator at the

Western Australian Museum The Western Australian Museum is a statutory authority within the Culture and the Arts Portfolio, established under the ''Museum Act 1969''. The museum has six main sites. The state museum, now known as WA Museum Boola Bardip, officially re-ope ...

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

till 1997, where Allen moved to Conservation International, working as a science team leader undertaking coral reef fish surveys in

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

until 2003. Allen has written 33 books and about 400 scientific papers. In 2003, he received the K. Radway Allen Award from the

Australian Society for Fish Biology The Australian Society for Fish Biology (ASFB) is a professional organisation of fish and fisheries researchers. Founded in 1971, the society describes itself as a "professional, independent, non-profit, non-commercial and non-aligned organisatio ...

for his scientific achievements in fish biology."K. Radway Allen Award"
Australian Society for Fish Biology, official website. Accessed 3 March 2017. He has mapped and analysed the distributions of all

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

coral reef fishes. Allen continues to publish scientific papers and is involved in the nonprofit organisation

Conservation International Conservation International (CI) is an American nonprofit environmental organization headquartered in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia. CI's work focuses on science, policy and partnership with businesses, governments and communities. The organ ...

, especially for the preservation of biodiversity in the area of

Vogelkop Peninsula The Bird's Head Peninsula ( Indonesian: ''Kepala Burung'', nl, Vogelkop) or Doberai Peninsula (''Semenanjung Doberai''), is a large peninsula that makes up the northwest portion of the island of New Guinea, comprising the Indonesian provinces ...

Taxon named in his honor

*The fish genus '' Allenichthys'' Pietsch 1984 is named after him.

The following species

*The sandburrower ''

Creedia alleni ''Creedia alleni'' is a species of sandburrowers found in the Eastern Indian Ocean in Australia. This species reaches a length of . Etymology The sandburrower is named in honor of Gerald R. Allen (b. 1942), of the Western Australia Museum in Pe ...

'' J. S. Nelson 1983 in honor of Allen for his many contributions to ichthyology at the

Western Australia Museum The Western Australian Museum is a statutory authority within the Culture and the Arts Portfolio, established under the ''Museum Act 1969''. The museum has six main sites. The state museum, now known as WA Museum Boola Bardip, officially re-op ...

, who brought this species to Nelson’s attention knowing he would describe it. *The little rainbow wrasse '' Dotalabrus alleni'' Russell 1988 was named in honor of Allen who collected the type series and drew Russell’s attention to the species that had not been previously described. *The Wrasse ''

Labropsis alleni ''Labropsis'' is a genus of wrasses native to the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Species The currently recognized species in this genus are: * ''Labropsis alleni'' John Ernest Randall, J. E. Randall, 1981 (Allen's tubelip) * ''Labropsi ...

'' Randall 1981 was named in honor of Allen who collected six of the fourteen type specimens. *The sole '' Leptachirus alleni'' Randall 2007 is named after Allen who collected the type specimens. *The skate '' Pavoraja alleni'' McEachran & Fechhelm, 1982 is named after him. *The perchlet ''

Plectranthias alleni ''Plectranthias'' is a genus of ray-finned fish in the subfamily Anthiinae, part of the family Serranidae, the groupers and sea basses. They are found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. Species There are currently 57 recognized species i ...

'' Randall 1980 was named after Allen who provided the type specimens to Randall knowing that the species was undescribed and Randall would describe it. *The goby ''

Schismatogobius alleni ''Schismatogobius'' is a genus of fish in the subfamily Gobionellinae. They are native to southern and eastern Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands. Adults dwell in freshwater habitat such as streams and rivers, where they live along the sand ...

Keith Keith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Keith (surname) * Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949) * Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons ...

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or ar ...

& Larson, 2017 in honor of Allen for his extensive work on the freshwater fish fauna of

. *The goby '' Stenogobius alleni'' Watson 1991 is named in honor of Allen because of his contributions to the freshwater ichthyology of Papua New Guinea. *Allen's shrimpgoby '' Tomiyamichthys alleni'' Iwata, Ohnishi & Hirata, 2000is named after him. * The rainbowfish ''Chilatherina alleni'' is "named in honour of Gerald R. Allen, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to ichthyology and his deep commitment to the study and preservation of the aquatic fauna of New Guinea." - Adrian R. Tappin

Taxon described by him

*See :Taxa named by Gerald R. Allen

References

External links

List of Gerald R. Allen books
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Gerald R. Australian ichthyologists 1942 births Living people Scientists from Los Angeles University of Hawaiʻi alumni American emigrants to Australia Academics from Los Angeles