Comprehensive Dataset for Polychaetes in the IPC: Species Distribution, DNA Barcodes, and Functional Traits

The Indo Pacific Convergence Zone (IPC) is recognized as an area of highest taxonomic and functional diversity. The polychaetes have garnered attention as their enormous functional trait diversity and their significant role in biomonitoring ecosystems. Here, we developed a comprehensive dataset for polychaetes in the IPC, encompassing information on species distribution, DNA barcodes, and functional traits. The species distribution data were collected from 39,310 occurrence records, with over 13% newly contributed from museum collections and 350 scientific papers. This dataset also provides 29% known species coverage in the IPC, 154 mitochondrial genomes (35.1% are new contributions), and 7,052 COI/18S/16S sequences (4.6% are new contributions). Our functional traits subdatabase comprises approximately 12,000 records and 2,831 species, belonging to 696 genera and 75 families, with 90% of which are new additions. The functional trait data were categorized into 13 traits spanning morphology, life history, physiology, and behavior. The datasetbase provide an unprecedented and original contribution for conservation and for studying the biogeography, evolution processes, and ecology of tropic organisms.