George S. Myers
Encyclopedia
Dr. George Sprague Myers (1905–1985) spent most of his career at Stanford University
, where he was one of the leading American ichthyologists of the twentieth century. He served as the editor of Stanford Ichthyological Bulletin as well as president of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
. Myers was also head of the Division of Fishes at the United States National Museum, and held a position as an ichthyologist for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
. He was also an advisor in fisheries and ichthyology to the Brazilian Government.
He was a prolific writer of papers and books and is well known to aquarists as the man who first described numerous popular aquarium species such as the flame tetra
(Hyphessobrycon flammeus), the black-winged hatchetfish (Carnegiella marthae), the ram cichlid
(Microgeophagus ramirezi) and, most notably, the neon tetra
. He also erected the genera
Aphyosemion and Fundulopanchax, which include dozens of widely kept killifish
species. He is perhaps best known to aquarists for his collaborations with William T. Innes
who wrote the classic book Exotic Aquarium Fishes. Myers served as the scientific consultant for this seminal work in the aquarium literature and, after Innes retired, served as the editor for later editions. When Myers described the neon tetra in 1936, he named it Hyphessobrycon innesi in honor of Innes. The species was later moved to the genus Paracheirodon
and is now known as Paracheirodon innesi.
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, where he was one of the leading American ichthyologists of the twentieth century. He served as the editor of Stanford Ichthyological Bulletin as well as president of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists is an international organization devoted to the scientific studies of ichthyology and herpetology...
. Myers was also head of the Division of Fishes at the United States National Museum, and held a position as an ichthyologist for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats...
. He was also an advisor in fisheries and ichthyology to the Brazilian Government.
He was a prolific writer of papers and books and is well known to aquarists as the man who first described numerous popular aquarium species such as the flame tetra
Flame tetra
The Flame Tetra , also known as the Red Tetra or Tetra of Rio, is a small freshwater fish of the characin family Characidae of order Characiformes. The species was first introduced as aquarium fish in 1920 by C. Bruening, Hamburg, Germany, and formally described in 1924 by Dr. George S. Myers.Cuba...
(Hyphessobrycon flammeus), the black-winged hatchetfish (Carnegiella marthae), the ram cichlid
Ram cichlid
Mikrogeophagus ramirezi is a species of freshwater fish endemic to the Orinoco River basin, in the savannahs of Venezuela and Colombia in South America...
(Microgeophagus ramirezi) and, most notably, the neon tetra
Neon tetra
The neon tetra is a freshwater fish of the characin family of order Characiformes. The type species of its genus, it is native to blackwater or clearwater streams in southeastern Colombia, eastern Peru, and western Brazil, including the tributaries of the Solimões where the water is between...
. He also erected the genera
Genera
Genera is a commercial operating system and development environment for Lisp machines developed by Symbolics. It is essentially a fork of an earlier operating system originating on the MIT AI Lab's Lisp machines which Symbolics had used in common with LMI and Texas Instruments...
Aphyosemion and Fundulopanchax, which include dozens of widely kept killifish
Killifish
A killifish is any of various oviparous cyprinodontiform fish . Altogether, there are some 1270 different species of killifish, the biggest family being Rivulidae, containing more than 320 species...
species. He is perhaps best known to aquarists for his collaborations with William T. Innes
William T. Innes
William Thornton Innes III, L.H.D. was an American aquarist, author, photographer, printer and publisher. Innes was the author of numerous influential books and hundreds of articles about aquarium fish, aquatic plants and aquarium maintenance during the formative years of the aquarium hobby in...
who wrote the classic book Exotic Aquarium Fishes. Myers served as the scientific consultant for this seminal work in the aquarium literature and, after Innes retired, served as the editor for later editions. When Myers described the neon tetra in 1936, he named it Hyphessobrycon innesi in honor of Innes. The species was later moved to the genus Paracheirodon
Paracheirodon
Paracheirodon is a genus of freshwater fish in the characin family of order Characiformes. The type species isParacheirodon innesi, the well-known neon tetra, and the Paracheirodon species are among the fishes known as tetras...
and is now known as Paracheirodon innesi.