Global diversity and distributions of symbiotic copepod crustaceans living on hexacorallians

This dataset is the first and complete source of information about diversity, hosts and distribution of symbiotic copepods (Copepoda, Crustacea) reported living on hexacorals (Hexacorallia) of the World. The dataset unites data on all (1515) records of 433 species of copepods representing 124 genera, 31 families and four order discovered worldwide associated with 196 species of hexacorallians representing 98 genera, 34 families and five orders. It includes information about taxonomy of hosts and symbionts, the names and coordinates of all known (311) sampling sites, the depth and date of all sampling events with such notes in original sources (1243 and 1379, correspondingly), as well as references to all (167) publications. The number of currently known scleractinian hosts of copepod crustaceans is just over 10.5% of all known species of hard corals, considering by us as poorly explored potential hosts of copepods.