Data from: A comprehensive occurrence dataset for European Ostracoda inhabiting groundwater and groundwater-dependent ecosystems

MotivationGroundwater ecosystems sustain a unique and globally important
biodiversity but remain understudied due to sampling and exploration
challenges, as well as a shortage of taxonomic experts. Groundwater
ostracods, like other groundwater taxa, exhibit a high degree of endemism,
rarity, and subterranean specialisation, positioning them as potentially
vulnerable organisms. To better understand biodiversity patterns and the
conservation needs of this highly diverse group, we assembled a team of
experts to gather the most comprehensive information available about
groundwater ostracods in Europe. We present a dataset comprising 2,065
occurrence records of 110 species, 11 undescribed species, and 5
subspecies of groundwater ostracods. This open dataset may support future
research on the distribution, evolutionary pathways, and conservation
needs of European groundwater ostracods, as well as inspire targeted
sampling efforts in regions with currently limited data available.Main
Types of Variables ContainedOccurrence records of groundwater ostracods,
with details about taxonomy, source of records, occurrence locality,
habitat type, and species dependence on groundwater (obligate [stygobite]
versus facultative groundwater-dwellers [stygophile]).Spatial Location and
GrainGeographical Europe, spanning 32 countries. Occurrence records were
assigned decimal degrees coordinates (EPSG:4326). Most occurrence records
are at 100 m resolution.Time Period1915–2024.Major Taxa and Level of
MeasurementCrustacea: Ostracoda. Most records have species or
subspecies-level identification, while some are identified to genus or
family levels.Software FormatComma-separated values file (.csv), with
UTF-8 encoding and meta-data provided following the Darwin Core standard.