Biodiversity and Conservation 13: 2135–2144, 2004. # 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands. Lack of adequate taxonomic knowledge may hinder endemic mammal conservation in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest DANIEL BRITO Po ´s-Graduac ¸a ˜o em Ecologia, Conservac ¸a ˜o e Manejo de Vida Silvestre (ECMVS), Instituto de Cie ˆncias Biolo ´gicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Anto ˆnio Carlos 6627, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, Minas Gerais, Brasil; Current address: Rua Andrade Neves 93/802, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 20510-230, Brazil (e-mail: britod@bol.com.br) Received 22 October 2002; accepted in revised form 23 July 2003 Key words: Atlantic Forest, Biodiversity, Conservation biology, Conservation planning, Mammals, Marsupials, Neotropics, Primates, Rodents, Taxonomy Abstract. The Atlantic Forest is one of the most diverse and threatened ecosystems of the world, being thus classified as one of the most important biodiversity hotspots. However, habitat loss, overexploitation, alien species, disease and pollution are not the only threats faced by native fauna and flora. The lack of adequate taxonomic knowledge hinders conservation and management efforts of endemic species. This is true even for mammals, which is the most charismatic group of animals and traditionally receive a good deal of attention from scientists and the public in general. A few examples show how this gap in local fauna information can be demise for species conservation, even misguiding management strategies: molecular data reveal a hidden marsupial diversity; the lack of taxonomic studies at the species level seriously threatens rodent conservation; and the taxonomic re- arrangement of the genus Brachyteles revealedanewspeciesandhadagreatimpactonmanagement strategies. New species are discovered, described and taxonomically rearranged at an astounding rate. We can only be successful in biodiversity conservation if we have at least a minimum level of knowledgeaboutwhatwearetryingtopreserve.Thatistruebothforresearchersandforthegeneral public.RecenttaxonomicrevisionsmayrepresenttheturningpointinNeotropicalfaunaknowledge, which, coupled with a greater awareness of local people about the rich biodiversity that dot their backyards, can represent a better conservation prospect for the endemics of the Atlantic Forest. Introduction Currently, there are 25 recognized biodiversity hotspots, areas with a high con- centration of endemic species that are undergoing exceptional habitat loss (Myers et al. 2000). The Atlantic Forest is one of the most endangered eco- systems in the world (Fonseca 1985). The remaining forest cover is estimated to be about 5% of the original area, and most of the remnants are privately owned, by farmers, and their fate is highly dependent upon the attitudes of those farmers and local communities (Viana et al. 1997). Besides that, the Atlantic Forest ecosystem is located within the region with the highest density of urban settlements in Brazil (Chiarello 1999), where 70% of Brazil’s 169 million people are located. A recent compilation of Atlantic Forest mammal species resulted in an estimate of 261 species, with 73 of these (ffi28%) endemic