Here, we report trading of endangered shark species in a world hotspot for elasmobranch conservation in Brazil. Data on shark fisheries are scarce in Brazil, although the northern and northeastern regions have the highest indices of shark bycatch. Harvest is made primarily with processed carcasses lacking head and fins, which hampers reliable species identification and law enforcement on illegal catches. We used partial sequences of two mitochondrial genes (COI and/or NADH2) to identify 17 shark species from 427 samples being harvested and marketed on the northern coast of Brazil. Nine species (53%) are listed under some extinction threat category according to Brazilian law and international authorities (IUCN – International Union for Conservation of Nature; CITES – Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). The number increases to 13 (76%) if we also consider the Near Threatened category. Hammerhead sharks are under threat worldwide, and composed 18.7% of samples, with Sphyrna mokarran being the fourth most common species among samples. As illegal trade of threatened shark species is a worldwide conservation problem, molecular identification of processed meat or specimens lacking diagnostic body parts is a highly effective tool for species identification and law enforcement.

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The shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora.

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The filamentous red algal genus Gayliella, typified by G. flaccida, was segregated from Ceramium for a group of epiphytic species on the basis of morphological data and molecular phylogenetic analyses. However, while the genus was well investigated in some geographical areas, the treatment of the Brazilian taxa “Ceramium flaccidum” and “C. dawsonii” was incomplete and they were not transferred to Gayliella due to the problematic status of the specific epithets. Brazilian “C. flaccidum” did not fit within the circumscription of Gayliella flaccida; Brazilian “C. dawsonii” was positioned in three distinct lineages, none of which corresponded to known Gayliella species. Since the establishment of Gayliella, there has been no re‐evaluation of Brazilian species, so this study revises the genus in Brazil using molecular and morphological data. Brazilian “C. flaccidum”, “C. dawsonii”, and other Brazilian collections were investigated by an integrative approach using phylogenetic analysis, genetic divergence, two species delimitation methods using three molecular markers (rbcL, cox1, and partial LSU), and comparative morphological and quantitative analyses. This molecular‐assisted alpha taxonomy (MAAT) analysis placed Brazilian samples in five distinct well‐supported lineages. For these, we propose a new combination, Gayliella dawsonii comb. nov. (lineage 2), based on analysis of type specimens and molecular data obtained from specimens collected near the type locality, and four new species: Gayliella ardissonei sp. nov. (“Ceramium flaccidum” from Brazil), G. iemanja sp. nov. (“C. dawsonii” lineage 3), G. tamoiensis sp. nov., and G. jolyana sp. nov. (“C. dawsonii” lineage 1).