This is the first product of the effort of more than 500 zoologists, experts in many different groups of animals that inhabit the Brazilian territory. Since the start of the Project, in 2013, the team of the Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil (CTFB) (http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/fauna) has been working in an integrated manner to generate the first list of valid species found in the country. So far, we identified 124,438 taxonomically valid species.
Data on ecology, distribution are available in the system and taxonomic information will be soon be included in the catalogue (such as images and diagnoses). Visit the "tabs" in the catalogue site and learn a little more about the members of our team, coordinators, authors, and institutions involved.
The list is available for consultation by anyone. The system is dynamic and allows additions and corrections in real time, inclusion of newly discovered species, corrections associated with nomenclatural decisions, distribution expansion, among others.
Most species are arthropods (81.2% with more than 102,000 species) and chordates (8.84% with over 11,000 species). These taxa are followed by a cluster composed by Mollusca (3,570 species), Platyhelminthes (2,293 species), Annelida (1,833 species), and Nematoda (1,463 species). All remaining groups have less than 1,000 species reported in Brazil, with Cnidaria (823 species), Porifera (626 species), Bryozoa (520 species), and Rotifera (607), representing those with
more than 500 species.
A quick analysis shows that we are far from knowing our fauna in a comprehensive manner. Much work is still necessary for our taxonomists, many inputs will still be entered into the system. We hope that the CTFB, therefore, represents a facilitator and induces further studies to describe more effectively the animal diversity in Brazil.
Brazilian Zoology G (2026). Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil. Version 1.52. Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botanico do Rio de Janeiro. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/c4cauy accessed via GBIF.org on 2026-06-14.
