Richard Knapp "Dick" Allen (April 21, 1925 - August 7, 1992) was an American invertebrate

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...

and entomologist. He was academically trained in

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

and specialised in

entomology Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

, in particular

mayflies Mayflies (also known as shadflies or fishflies in Canada and the upper Midwestern United States, as Canadian soldiers in the American Great Lakes region, and as up-winged flies in the United Kingdom) are aquatic insects belonging to the order ...

. Later, after moving to Los Angeles, California, he added the study of marine invertebrates of the Pacific coast as a university professor. Although Allen was born in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

, Utah, where he later studied at the local university for his degrees in zoology at the University of Utah. However, he spent his teaching career at the

California State University at Los Angeles California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public university in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degrees, 122 master's degrees, ...

, including studies of seashore animals without backbones, mentoring graduate students that researched mayfly taxonomy, finally medically retiring in 1976 following a diagnosis of terminal cancer which proved to be overly pessimistic. His last years were spent Lake San Marcos, California near the ocean, where he enjoyed sailing on his boat. The noteworthy book by Allen, ''Common Intertidal Invertebrates of Southern California'', was first published in 1967 with a focus on Gastropoda (snails), followed two years later in 1969 with coverage of all taxonomic groups of marine invertebrates, and finally with a third edition in 1976 with greater focus on covering many additional species of marine invertebrates. Within the 1976 third edition of this book, on page iii of the Preface, Allen positively acknowledged Augusta Foote Arnold with recognition for writing the first popular book on coastal marine life of the seashore, both animals and algae as well as one plant, of the intertidal wetland zones of North America, as follows: "The first popular guide to the intertidal zone was ''The Sea-Beach at Ebb-Tide'' published by Augusta Foote Arnold in 1901. The volume is still available at

Dover Publications Dover Publications, also known as Dover Books, is an American book publisher founded in 1941 by Hayward and Blanche Cirker. It primarily reissues books that are out of print from their original publishers. These are often, but not always, books ...

, Inc., New York, reprinted in 1968. The great emphasis is for the identification of Atlantic coast plants and animals, but the treatment also includes discussions of nearly 100 Pacific coast genera and several species."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Richard Knapp 1925 births 1992 deaths American entomologists Marine zoologists University of Utah alumni California State University, Los Angeles faculty 20th-century American zoologists