Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil: setting the baseline knowledge on the animal diversity in Brazil

The limited temporal completeness and taxonomic accuracy of species lists, made available in a traditional manner in scientific publications, has always represented a problem. These lists are invariably limited to a few taxonomic groups and do not represent up-to-date knowledge of all species and classifications. In this context, the Brazilian megadiverse fauna is no exception, and the Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil (CTFB) (http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/), made public in 2015, represents a database on biodiversity anchored on a list of valid and expertly recognized scientific names of animals in Brazil. The CTFB is updated in near real time by a team of more than 800 specialists. By January 1, 2024, the CTFB compiled 133,691 nominal species, with 125,138 that were considered valid. Most of the valid species were arthropods (82.3%, with more than 102,000 species) and chordates (7.69%, with over 11,000 species). These taxa were followed by a cluster composed of Mollusca (3,567 species), Platyhelminthes (2,292 species), Annelida (1,833 species), and Nematoda (1,447 species). All remaining groups had less than 1,000 species reported in Brazil, with Cnidaria (831 species), Porifera (628 species), Rotifera (606 species), and Bryozoa (520 species) representing those with more than 500 species. Analysis of the CTFB database can facilitate and direct efforts towards the discovery of new species in Brazil, but it is also fundamental in providing the best available list of valid nominal species to users, including those in science, health, conservation efforts, and any initiative involving animals. The importance of the CTFB is evidenced by the elevated number of citations in the scientific literature in diverse areas of biology, law, anthropology, education, forensic science, and veterinary science, among others

Spatial distribution of mollusks in the intertidal zone of sheltered beaches in southeastern of Brazil

The spatial distribution of mollusks in the intertidal zone was examined monthly from August 1995 through July 1997, in Enseada, Barra Velha and Araçá beaches in southeastern of Brazil. One study sector was selected in Enseada and Barra Velha, and two sectors in Araçá (Araçá I and Araçá II). The sectors were 10 m wide and equivalent in length to the width of the intertidal zone. Each sector was divided into three horizontal levels: lower, middle and upper, where the samples were taken with a cylinder corer with a base area of 0.16 m². In order to characterize the intertidal environment in these areas, some environmental variables were analyzed. In general, the mollusks were distributed in the sectors as follows: Enseada - Olivella minuta (Link, 1807) in the lower level and Tagelus plebeius (Lightfoot, 1786) in the upper level; Araçá I - O. minuta in the lower level, Tellina lineata Turton, 1819 and Anomalocardia brasiliana (Gmelin, 1791) in the middle levels; Araçá II - Cerithium atratum (Born, 1778) in the lower level, O. minuta in the lower and middle levels, and A. brasiliana and Corbula caribaea Orbigny, 1842 in the middle level; Barra Velha - Tagelus divisus (Spengler, 1794), Lucina pectinata (Gmelin, 1791) and Tellina versicolor De Kay, 1843 in the lower level, and A. brasiliana and Macoma constricta (Brugüìere, 1792) in the upper level. The intertidal zone of the study sectors could be divided into two biological zones: the upper zone, where T. plebeius, A. brasiliana and M. constricta were more abundant; and the lower zone, where O. minuta, C. atratum, T. lineata, T. versicolor, C. caribaea, T. divisus and L. pectinata were abundant

How many species of Mollusca are there in Brazil? A collective taxonomic effort to reveal this still unknown diversity

The expression ‘you need to know to conserve’ is a well-known cliche among biologists. Documenting the richness of a group of organisms is the first step towards understanding biodiversity and preparing efficient conservation plans. In this context, many efforts have been made to quantify the number of species on Earth and estimate the number of species still unknown to science. A few countries have complete and integrated databases estimating the approximate number of species recorded for their territory, particularly in the Global South. In Brazil, a country of continental dimensions, revealing the richness of the second most diverse clade of invertebrates (=Mollusca) has been a goal of taxonomists. Recently, in an unprecedented, collective, and integrated effort among Brazilian malacologists, it was possible to estimate how many valid species of molluscs are there in Brazil. In this effort, more than 30 mollusc experts joined together to update the Taxonomic Catalogue of the Brazilian Fauna (TCBF), a governmental website that allows a quick and real-time updating of all Metazoan. So far, more than 5,000 updates have been made in TCBF, indicating the presence of 3,552 valid species of molluscs in Brazil, distributed among the main clades as follows: Caudofoveata (10 spp.), Solenogastres (6 spp.), Polyplacophora (35 spp.), Scaphopoda (43 spp.), Cephalopoda (92 spp.), Bivalvia (629 spp.) and Gastropoda (2,737 spp.). The present study, in addition to demonstrating for the first time the richness of Brazilian molluscs, also presents the state of the art of this important phylum of invertebrates highlighting its most representative and neglected groups

Design and Synthesis of Novel 3‑Nitro‑1<i>H</i>‑1,2,4-triazole-1,2,3-triazole-1,4-disubstituted Analogs as Promising Antitrypanosomatid Agents: Evaluation of In Vitro Activity against Chagas Disease and Leishmaniasis

A series of 28 compounds, 3-nitro-1H-1,2,4-triazole, were synthesized by click-chemistry with diverse substitution patterns using medicinal chemistry approaches, such as bioisosterism, Craig-plot, and the Topliss set with excellent yields. Overall, the analogs demonstrated relevant in vitro antitrypanosomatid activity. Analog 15g (R1 = 4-OCF3–Ph, IC50 = 0.09 μM, SI = >555.5) exhibited an outstanding antichagasic activity (Trypanosoma cruzi, Tulahuen LacZ strain) 68-fold more active than benznidazole (BZN, IC50 = 6.15 μM, SI = >8.13) with relevant selectivity index, and suitable LipE = 5.31. 15g was considered an appropriate substrate for the type I nitro reductases (TcNTR I), contributing to a likely potential mechanism of action for antichagasic activity. Finally, 15g showed nonmutagenic potential against Salmonella typhimurium strains (TA98, TA100, and TA102). Therefore, 3-nitro-1H-1,2,4-triazole 15g is a promising antitrypanosomatid candidate for in vivo studies

Design and Synthesis of Novel 3‑Nitro‑1<i>H</i>‑1,2,4-triazole-1,2,3-triazole-1,4-disubstituted Analogs as Promising Antitrypanosomatid Agents: Evaluation of In Vitro Activity against Chagas Disease and Leishmaniasis

A series of 28 compounds, 3-nitro-1H-1,2,4-triazole, were synthesized by click-chemistry with diverse substitution patterns using medicinal chemistry approaches, such as bioisosterism, Craig-plot, and the Topliss set with excellent yields. Overall, the analogs demonstrated relevant in vitro antitrypanosomatid activity. Analog 15g (R1 = 4-OCF3–Ph, IC50 = 0.09 μM, SI = >555.5) exhibited an outstanding antichagasic activity (Trypanosoma cruzi, Tulahuen LacZ strain) 68-fold more active than benznidazole (BZN, IC50 = 6.15 μM, SI = >8.13) with relevant selectivity index, and suitable LipE = 5.31. 15g was considered an appropriate substrate for the type I nitro reductases (TcNTR I), contributing to a likely potential mechanism of action for antichagasic activity. Finally, 15g showed nonmutagenic potential against Salmonella typhimurium strains (TA98, TA100, and TA102). Therefore, 3-nitro-1H-1,2,4-triazole 15g is a promising antitrypanosomatid candidate for in vivo studies