A dataset on inventory and geographical distribution of fungi in Xinjiang, China

To summarise the current understanding of fungal diversity in Xinjiang, this study collated 17,901 records of fungal distribution from publicly published literatures. In accordance with the latest taxonomic scheme, the scientific names and taxonomic status were verified and revised, leading to the compilation of a fungal diversity catalog and a county-level distribution dataset for Xinjiang. Quality control is carried out through the collection of literatures as well as data collation and statistics to ensure data accuracy. As of 2023, 3,089 fungal species and infraspecific taxa have been reported from Xinjiang, belonging to 3 kingdoms, 8 phyla, 31 classes, 98 orders, 286 families, and 871 genera. The families with largest number of species was the Pucciniaceae (203 species). Fungi are distributed across all 14 prefecture-level administrative regions in Xinjiang, with considerable variation in species distribution among counties. Wensu County has the highest number of species (693 species). This dataset contains the Latin names, synonyms, Chinese names, distributions and other information of fungi reported from Xinjiang, which can provide basic data and scientific reference for biodiversity research and species protection.