Dr Yi-Kai Tea is a systematic ichthyologist and the Curator of Fishes at the Australian Museum. He received his PhD from the University of Sydney in 2022, where he was awarded the prestigious award of outstanding doctoral thesis. His research interests combine the use of cutting-edge genetic sequencing techniques with traditional methods of morphology to better understand the evolutionary history of coral reef fishes. He is also interested in better understanding the biodiversity of fishes living in coral reefs, and in doing so, he has revised the taxonomy of several coral reef fish groups, in addition to having described and named over two dozen species as new to science. 

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In addition to coral reef fishes, Kai has a deep passion for butterflies, and has published several papers on the ecology and behaviour of tropical Lepidoptera in the Asia-Pacific. He is also an avid butterfly photographer, with many of his photos featured here on this website.