GBS sequencing data for 37 steppe ribbon racer (Psammophis lineolatus) and one Turpan sand snake (Psammophis turpanensis)

The steppe ribbon racer (Psammophis lineolatus Brandt, 1838) is a diurnal, fast-moving species highly adapted to arid ecosystems such as dry grasslands, desert margins, and scrublands, where it preys primarily on lizards and small mammals. Its distribution spans the arid desert regions of Central Asia, extending from the Caspian Sea area in the west to northwestern China and Mongolia in the east, making it an ideal model for investigating evolutionary adaptations to aridity and landscape changes. Due to challenges in field sampling, SNP genotyping yielded a dataset of 38 individuals, consisting of 37 P. lineolatus and one individual of P. turpanensis. Despite the limited sample size, the specimens represent a broad geographical distribution. Liver tissue and whole specimens were preserved in 95% ethanol and stored at –20°C. All samples are currently deposited in the specimen collection of the Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.