A global dataset on species occurrences and functional traits of Schizothoracinae fish

Abstract

Abstract The Schizothoracinae fish are a natural group of cyprinids widely distributed in rivers and lakes in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) and adjacent regions. These fish parallelly evolved with the QTP uplift and are thus important for uncovering geological history, the paleoclimatic environment, and the mechanisms of functional adaptation to environmental change. However, a dataset including species occurrences and functional traits, which are essential for resolving the above issues and guiding relevant conservation, remains unavailable. To fill this gap, we systematically compiled a comprehensive dataset on species occurrences and functional traits of Schizothoracinae fish from our long-term field samplings and various sources (e.g., publications and online databases). The dataset includes 7,333 occurrence records and 3,204 records of 32 functional traits covering all the genera and species of Schizothoracinae fish (i.e., 12 genera and 125 species or subspecies). Sampling records spanned over 180 years. This dataset will serve as a valuable resource for future research on the evolution, historical biogeography, responses to environmental change, and conservation of the Schizothoracinae fish.