Ricardo L. Palma was born in Argentina. He attended the University of Buenos Aires, where he completed a Master’s Degree in Biological Sciences, majoring in Entomology, in January 1971. After finishing compulsory military service, he left his native country to work at the University of Concepción, Chile, lecturing on entomology and researching the taxonomy of the family Mydidae (Diptera). Following the September 11 military coup in 1973, he left Chile as a political refugee and was given permanent residence in New Zealand, where he obtained a research assistant position under the direction of Professor Robert L.C. Pilgrim at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, in May 1974. After two years in Canterbury, he was successful in attaining the position of Scientist (Entomology) in the then National Museum of New Zealand, now Te Papa, where he was promoted to Curator of Entomology in 1991—position he held until his retirement in May 2016 after working at the museum for 40 years. He has published over 130 peer-reviewed papers, several book chapters and two books dealing mainly with parasitic lice (Phthiraptera), together with a great numbers of co-authors from many countries. Other animal groups covered in his publications are flies, beetles, feather mites, ticks and birds. His study of lice from kiwis indicated the existence of a previously unrecognised kiwi species, of which he became one of the authors of its original description. He is currently the editor of Zootaxa for Phthiraptera papers, member of the Fauna of New Zealand Series Editorial board and of several overseas editorial boards, as well as member of the Checklist Committee of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand, and is the New Zealand representative to the international Working Group on Avian Nomenclature. Although not officially employed, Te Papa has given him the position of Honorary Research Associate.