New occurrence records on the rodent species inhabiting Vietnam, based on Joint Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Research and Test Center genetic samples collection.

Much of the distribution data are currently available as open source GBIF databases and potentially may be combined into a united framework for better data resolution. The dataset presented here combines occurrence records of many species over a significant part of their recent natural range, in Vietnam and Laos. The author presents a validated and comprehensive dataset of rodents' occurrence records, based on genetic samples collection compiled during 15 years working in Vietnam (from 2007 to date). Prior to this project, a considerable part of the information about Vietnamese rodents was not available to a wide range of researchers to use these spatial data for analyses by modern methods, for example, for analysis based on geographic information systems (GIS technologies). This dataset now is available for any researchers who use the data format prepared in accordance with Darwin Core standards.For different countries of Southeast Asia and beyond, there are a lot of additional occurrence records for a number of species listed here which may be combined, but a considerable part of them is still scattered over a number of separate literary sources, while another is still presented as maps, field notes and huge amount of museum zoological collections records. The final set was created by a combination of species occurrence records and uniform data structure with verification of the samples' geographic coordinates. Most samples were genetically or/and morphologically verified for correct taxonomical identification, because the most part of the samples presented was carefully investigated by the author himself, both for morphology and genetic attribution. Therefore, the dataset expands the available information on the spatial and temporal distribution of a number of small mammals' species in Southeast Asia. All original notes and geographical localities were carefully checked and any duplicate and erroneous records have been removed from the final dataset.To the date of publication of these data, the GBIF database https://www.gbif.org contained 1408 rodent occurrence records from Vietnam (Fig. 1) along with 240 Scandentia records (Fig. 2), primarily the data on museum materials, including four large collections, such as the Field Museum of Natural History (Zoology) Mammal Collection (646 samples), Australian National Wildlife Collection provider for OZCAM (537), MVZ Mammal Collection Arctos (109), Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University (69) and six other minor collections comprising single specimens.Actually, as for the small terrestrial mammals, Vietnam remains one of the least representative regions in Southeast Asia. Here, we present new data containing 2408 occurrence records, including 2237 rodent records, along with 171 Scandentia ones (Fig. 3). Thus, the data significantly expand our knowledge about actual ranges of a number of species, including rare and endangered ones.