image credit and copyright: Yi-Kai Tea (Lemon TYK)

Do yourself a favor and check out this beautiful new website from one of our favorite ichthyologist/taxonomist/fish guys, Yi-Kai Tea (Lemon TYK). Filled with his photography and some wonderful insights, it is a true pleasure to scroll through. There is also a “store” page, which contains prints of some of his best work. Read on to hear about Yi-Kai in his own words:

“I’m a systematic ichthyologist and taxonomist with an interest in evolution, speciation, and biogeography of coral reef fishes, particularly for fishes in the family Labridae. More specifically, I describe and name new species of fish, classify them, and work out their evolutionary history and relationships with other species. I received my B.Sc. in science with first class honours at the University of Sydney, where I did my undergraduate degree. I am now a doctoral candidate and a postgraduate fellow at the Australian Museum.

Growing up, my father had a strong influence in what would be my eventual obsession with tropical fishes. I started dabbling in freshwater aquariums at age nine and progressed quickly to saltwater reef aquariums by age sixteen. While I enjoyed reef keeping tremendously, I found myself gradually drawn towards science communication. In particular, I wanted to bridge the dive between science and hobby. Over the last decade I’ve been heavily involved in the marine aquarium industry as a writer, editor, and blogger, amassing close to 500 online and print articles under the pseudonym Lemon TYK. These experiences have taken me all over the world, interviewing, immersing, and walking in the shoes of like-minded people. I enjoy macro photography in my free time. While most of my photographs are of reef fishes, I expand a great deal of time and devotion towards butterfly photography. When I’m not working on fishes or getting myself wet, you’ll find me in the tropical rainforests of Asia chasing after butterflies.”

image credit and copyright: Yi-Kai Tea (Lemon TYK)

To learn more and to check out his work for yourself, go to: https://www.yikaitea.com/