Synopsis of the knowledge on the Brazilian estuarine fishes

A substantial amount of information on the Brazilian estuarine fishes has been collected, but is still largely fragmented into different sources. This study presents a summary of the available knowledge on the biodiversity of estuarine fishes in Brazil, a brief analysis of the historical development of estuarine ichthyology and identifies current research gaps in the country. A total of 796 fish species were inventoried, representing about 2.3% of current valid fish species and about 17.6% of the Brazilian fish fauna. Data evidenced the existence of large coastal stretches inadequately sampled and a lack of human resources and infrastructure in parts of the coast. Large gaps in basic knowledge about the biology and ecology of the species were also detected. Reducing these deficiencies is of utmost importance for the study, documentation and conservation of the Brazilian biodiversity.