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).
[1] He described several species new to science, mostly amphibians and reptiles, from throughout the Caribbean islands including the common coquí (Eleutherodactlys coqui),[2] the national animal of Puerto Rico.
[4] At the University of South Florida, Thomas graduated as a Bachelor of Arts in 1969.
[1][5] 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),[6][7] and rain frogs (Eleutherodactylus).