Gerald R. Allen
American born Australian ichthyologist
Gerald Robert "Gerry" Allen (born March 26, 1942 in Los Angeles, California) is an American-born Australian ichthyologist. His career began in 1963, when he spent a semester at the University of Hawaii, 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.
In 1974, he was made curator at the Western Australian Museum in Perth till 1997, where Allen moved to Conservation International, working as a science team leader undertaking coral reef fish surveys in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and the Philippines 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 for his scientific achievements in fish biology.
He has mapped and analysed the distributions of all Indo-Pacific coral reef fishes. Allen continues to publish scientific papers and is involved in the nonprofit organisation Conservation International, especially for the preservation of biodiversity in the area of Vogelkop Peninsula.
Taxon named in his honor
The fish genus Allenichthys Pietsch 1984 is named after him.
The following species
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
The sandburrower Creedia alleni J. S. Nelson 1983 in honor of Allen for his many contributions to ichthyology at the Western Australia Museum in Perth, who brought this species to Nelson’s attention knowing he would describe it.
“Gerald R. Allen” enters the record as american born Australian ichthyologist. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Gerald, Allen and American can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Gerald R. Allen” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Gerald, Allen and American provides the most credible route into that argument.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1509982. VIAF identifies the subject as 108898090. The Library of Congress control number is n79091569. 4 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1942, 1963, 1971 and 1972.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Gerald R. Allen”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Gerald R. Allen primary sources, Gerald R. Allen archive and Gerald research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Gerald R. Allen”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Gerald R. Allen” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.