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Richard Thomas (herpetologist)

{{Short description|American taxonomist and systematist (born 1938)}}

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| name = Richard Thomas

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| birth_name = John Paul Richard Thomas

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1938|5|2}}

| birth_place = Jacksonville, Florida

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| nationality = American

| fields = Taxonomy, systematics, herpetology, evolution

| workplaces = University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus

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| alma_mater = University of South Florida
Louisiana State University

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| known_for = Describing over 60 animal species, including the common coquí

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John Paul Richard Thomas (born 1938) is an American taxonomist and systematist, and retired professor of herpetology and evolution at University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras (San Juan, Puerto Rico).{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0F758vNQ0UUC|title=The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles|last1=Beolens|first1=Bo|last2=Watkins|first2=Michael|last3=Grayson|first3=Michael|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|year=2011|isbn=9781421402277|location=Baltimore, Maryland|pages=265}} (Kindle edition). {{ISBN|978-1-4214-0135-5}} (hardcover). He described several species new to science, mostly amphibians and reptiles, from throughout the Caribbean islands including the common coquí (Eleutherodactlys coqui),{{Cite journal|last=Thomas|first=Richard|date=1966|title=New species of Antillean Eleutherodactylus |journal=Quarterly Journal of the Florida Academy of Sciences|volume=28|issue=4|pages=375–391|jstor=24315255}} the national animal of Puerto Rico.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/print_2230.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103213342/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/print_2230.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 3, 2012|title=FIELD LISTING :: NATIONAL SYMBOL(S)}}

Early life and education

Thomas was born in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, on May 2, 1938.{{Cite web|url=https://www.archives.com/1940-census/john-thomas-fl-8187910|title=John Paul Richard Thomas in the 1940 Census}} At the University of South Florida, Thomas graduated as a Bachelor of Arts in 1969. Later, he went to Louisiana State University and obtained a PhD in 1976.{{Cite web|url=https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/2993/|title=LSU HISTORICAL DISSERTATIONS AND THESES|date=1976 |doi=10.31390/gradschool_disstheses.2993 |last1=Thomas |first1=John }}

Research

Thomas' research has focused mostly on amphibians and reptiles, spanning several fields from natural history to systematics and evolution. His studies have yielded descriptions of new species of dwarf geckos (Sphaerodactylus), blind snakes (Scolecophidia),{{Cite journal|last1=Thomas|first1=Richard|last2=Hedges|first2=S. Blair|author-link2=Stephen Blair Hedges|date=2007|title=Eleven new species of snakes of the genus Typhlops (Serpentes: Typhlopidae) from Hispaniola and Cuba|url=https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.1400.1.1/0|journal=Zootaxa|volume=1400|pages=1–26|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.1400.1.1}}{{Cite journal|last1=Hedges|first1=S. Blair|last2=Thomas|first2=Richard|date=2001|title=At the lower size limit in Amniote Vertebrates: A new diminutive lizard from the West Indies|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228780602|journal=Caribbean Journal of Science|volume=37|issue=3|pages=168–173}} and rain frogs (Eleutherodactylus).{{Cite web|url=http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/|title=The Reptile Database}}{{Cite web|url=https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Richard_Thomas|title=Richard Thomas}} Wikispecies.

Taxonomic descriptions

During his career as herpetologist, Thomas has described more than 60 new species.{{Cite web|url=https://amphibiaweb.org/|title=AmphibiaWeb}} A non-comprehensive list of described new species includes:

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a different genus.

Eponyms

Richard Thomas is honored in the scientific names of several lizards, namely Liolaemus thomasi, Anolis equestris thomasi Schwartz 1958,{{Cite journal |last=Schwartz |first=Albert |date=1958 |title=A New Subspecies of Anolis equestris from Eastern Cuba |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3890259 |journal=Herpetologica |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=1–7 |jstor=3890259 |issn=0018-0831}} Leiocephalus lunatus thomasi Schwartz 1967,{{Cite book |last1=Tulane University. |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/30425 |title=Tulane studies in zoology |last2=University |first2=Tulane |date=1967 |publisher=Tulane University |volume=v.14 (1967-1968) |location=New Orleans}} and Sphaerodactylus microlepis thomasi Schwartz 1965.{{Cite journal |last=Schwartz |first=Albert |date=1965 |title=A New Subspecies of the Gecko Sphaerodactylus microlepis |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3890783 |journal=Herpetologica |volume=21 |issue=4 |pages=261–269 |jstor=3890783 |issn=0018-0831}}

References

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Category:1938 births

Category:American taxonomists

Category:American herpetologists

Category:People from Jacksonville, Florida

Category:University of Puerto Rico faculty

Category:Living people