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G Model No. of Pages 7 Revista Brasileira de Entomologia xxx (2015) xxx-xxx w w w . r b e n t o m o l o g i a . c o m a b s t r a c tThis study reviewed the data on the Brazilian Ephemeroptera, based on the studies published before July, 2013, estimated the number of species still to be described, and identified which regions of the country have been the subject of least research. More than half the species are known from the description of only one developmental stage, with imagoes being described more frequently than nymphs. The Brazilian Northeast is the region with the weakest database. Body size affected description rates, with a strong tendency for the larger species to be described first. The estimated number of unknown Brazilian species was accentuated by the fact that so few species have been described so far. The steep slope of the asymptote and the considerable confidence interval of the estimate reinforce the conclusion that a large number of species are still to be described. This emphasizes the need for investments in the training of specialists in systematics and ecology for all regions of Brazil to correct these deficiencies, given the role of published papers as a primary source of information, and the fundamental importance of taxonomic knowledge for the development of effective measures for the conservation of ephemeropteran and the aquatic ecosystems they depend on.

1. Environmental changes are increasingly frequent, resulting in adverse impacts on biodiversity. These effects are more harmful when superimposed on areas of high biodiversity such as the Amazon region, in which the gaps in knowledge of the number of existing species and how they are distributed. This article reviews the known geographical distributions of Ephemeroptera in theBrazilian Amazon based on the current uneven sampling effort to identify which species and biodiversity hotspots are poorly protected, and where more work is required to address the conservation needs of this group.3. A sampling effort index was created to identify which areas have the highest potential mayfly richness and the greatest concentration of knowledge gaps. The mayfly records were combined with environmental variables to generate predictive models of the areas suitable for mayflies using species distribution modelling, and species that lack protection in conservation units and indigenous territories were indicated as priorities for future inventories. Caenis pflugfelderi, Microphlebia surinamensis, Tricorythopsis pseudogibbus and Tricorythodes sp. nov.were identified as threatened in the Brazilian Amazon given that they were recorded in an unprotected area of intense land use with a restricted potential distribution.4. Mayflies have been recorded in only 5% of the Brazilian Amazon biome. The model indicated a greater diversity in the northern and north-eastern Amazon.The sampling effort index indicated a total area of 46,225 km 2 in mayfly biodiversity not protected by conservation units or indigenous territories.5. This study raises awareness of the importance of intensifying studies of Ephemeroptera in the Brazilian Amazon, and demonstrates that the conservation units or indigenous territories do not protect many species.

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