Richard L. Pyle

Richard Pyle is Senior Curator of Ichthyology at Bernice P. Bishop Museum in Honolulu and an associate lecturer at the University of Hawaii. He received his PhD in 2003 under Dr. John E. “Jack” Randall as his advisor. His primary research interest is to explore and document Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems (coral-reef habitat at depths of 30-200 meters, also known as the coral-reef ‘Twilight Zone’), with particular emphasis on the discovery of new species of fishes and other organisms. In addition to discovering and describing new species, he also gathers data on biogeographic distribution of coral-reef fishes, comparing patterns observed on shallow reefs with those on deeper reefs. The pursuit of these endeavors has led him on dozens of research expeditions around the tropical Indo-Pacific. Richard’s other focus is the development of computer database systems, primarily to manage systematic and biogeographic information. He is an active participant in international groups that develop standards for biodiversity information management and exchange. He is also a Commissioner and Counselor for the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), which sets the rules for establishing new scientific names of animals. He also conceived, developed and maintains ZooBank, the official online register for scientific publications and names under the ICZN.