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.

Abstract—The Amazon houses a large proportion of the overall biodiversity currently found on Earth. Despite that, our knowledge of Amazonian biodiversity is still limited. In this study, we reconstruct the phylogeny of Pachyptera (Bignoniaceae), a genus of neotropical lianas that is centered in the Amazon. We then use this phylogenetic framework to re-evaluate species limits and study the biogeographic history of the genus. We sampled three molecular markers (i.e. ndhF, rpl32-trnL, and PepC) and 51 individuals representing the breadth of morphological variation and geographic distribution of all species recognized in the genus. We used this information to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships among individuals of Pachyptera using Bayesian and maximum likelihood approaches. The resulting molecular phylogeny was used as a basis to test species limits within the P. kerere species complex using a cpDNA coalescent approach (GMYC). GMYC identified five potential species within the P. kerere species complex that were subsequently evaluated in the light of morphology. Morphological data supported the recognition of four of the five potential species suggested by GMYC, all of which were also supported by a multispecies coalescent model in a Bayesian framework. The phylogeny of Pachyptera was time-calibrated and used to reconstruct the biogeographical history of the genus. We identified historically important migration pathways using our comprehensive cpDNA dataset and a Bayesian stochastic search variable selection (BSSVS) framework. Our results indicate that the genus originated in lowland Amazonia during the Middle Eocene, and subsequently occupied Central America and the Andes. Most of the diversification of Pachyptera occurred in the Miocene, a period of intense perturbations in South America.

Pachyptera ventricosa is a rare and poorly known species of liana that occurs in wet forests from the state of Pará, in Brazil. This species is characterized by features that are diagnostic of four genera within tribe Bignonieae: Mansoa, Martinella, Pachyptera, and Tanaecium. The currently recognized P. ventricosa was originally described in Mansoa, but subsequently transferred to Pachyptera based on morphological similarities. In this study, we use a combination of molecular and morphological data to evaluate the current placement of P. ventricosa. We conduct a broad scale molecular phylogenetic study based on 114 sequences of ndhF and PepC representing 112 taxa and members of all genera recognized in Bignonieae. In addition, we also conduct detailed morphological studies of selected characters. Our molecular phylogenetic study indicates that the currently recognized Pachyptera ventricosa is more closely related to members of Mansoa than to Pachyptera. New morphological data corroborates the molecular phylogenetic placement indicating that this species is indeed best placed within Mansoa. We here propose the reestablishment of Mansoa ventricosa, and show the detailed description for this species, along with new distribution information, and the first illustration for this taxon.

Pachyptera DC. is a small genus of neotropical lianas included in tribe Bignonieae (Bignoniaceae). The genus has a complicated taxonomic history but currently includes species distributed from Belize to Southern Amazon. Pachyptera is characterised by four main synapomorphies, namely, a papery peeling bark, prophylls of the axillary buds organised in a series of three, patelliform glands arranged in lines in the upper portions of the calyx and corolla tube. Furthermore, members of the genus also have stems with four phloem wedges in cross-section and conspicuous extrafloral nectaries between the interpetiolar region and at the petiole apex, although these characters are also shared with other genera of tribe Bignonieae. Here, we present a taxonomic revision of Pachyptera, which includes a complete list of synonyms, detailed morphological descriptions of species and an identification key, as well as information on the habitat, distribution and phenology, nomenclatural notes, taxonomic comments and illustrations of all the species. In addition, we designate three lectotypes, propose one new combination, raise one variety to species status and describe a new species. After these adjustments, a Pachyptera with five well-defined species is recognised.

Premise of the study:In this study, we developed chloroplast microsatellite markers (cpSSRs) for Pachyptera kerere (Bignoniaceae) to investigate the population structure and genetic diversity of this species.Methods and Results:We used Illumina HiSeq data to reconstruct the chloroplast genome of P. kerere by a combination of de novo and reference-guided assembly. We then used the chloroplast genome to develop a set of cpSSRs from intergenic regions. Overall, 24 primer pairs were designed, 21 of which amplified successfully and were polymorphic, presenting three to nine alleles per locus. The unbiased haploid diversity per locus varied from 0.207 (Pac28) to 0.817 (Pac04). All but one locus amplified for all other taxa of Pachyptera.Conclusions:The markers reported here will serve as a basis for studies to assess the genetic structure and phylogeographic history of Pachyptera.

AgradecimentosÀ Dra. Lúcia. L. Lohmann por todas as oportunidades e experiências que tenho vivido após ter aberto as portas do Laboratório de Sistemática e Biogeografia. Agradeço em especial, pela orientação, paciência e empolgação durante as fases desse projeto.Tenho muita sorte de tê-la como orientadora e incentivadora nessa área da ciência.Ao Alison G. Nazareno pela colaboração em um dos artigos e ensinamentos pessoais e profissionais. Por fim, à minha amada mãe, Hilda de Fatima, que sempre me incentivou a estudar e correr atrás dos meus objetivos e ao meu querido companheiro Jorge pelo apoio, cumplicidade e coragem em descobrir São Paulo comigo.

O estudo da família Lecythidaceae está incluído no projeto “Flora da Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais, Brasil”. A família está representada na área por dois gêneros e três espécies, a saber: Cariniana estrellensis (Raddi) Kuntze, Lecythis lanceolata Poir. e L. pisonis Cambess. São apresentadas chaves de identificação para os gêneros e espécies, descrições, ilustrações, imagens fotográficas, bem como comentários sobre sua distribuição geográfica e fenologia.