The Neotropical region hosts 4225 freshwater fish species, ranking first among the world's most diverse regions for freshwater fishes. Our NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set is the first to produce a large-scale Neotropical freshwater fish inventory, covering the entire Neotropical region from Mexico and the Caribbean in the north to the southern limits in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay. We compiled 185,787 distribution records, with unique georeferenced coordinates, for the 4225 species, represented by occurrence and abundance data. The number of species for the most numerous orders are as follows: Characiformes (1289), Siluriformes (1384), Cichliformes (354), Cyprinodontiformes (245), and Gymnotiformes (135). The most recorded species was the characid Astyanax fasciatus (4696 records). We registered 116,802 distribution records for native species, compared to 1802 distribution records for nonnative species. The main aim of the NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set was to make these occurrence and abundance data accessible for international researchers to develop ecological and macroecological studies, from local to regional scales, with focal fish species, families, or orders. We anticipate that the NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set will be valuable for studies on a wide range of ecological processes, such as trophic cascades, fishery pressure, the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation, and the impacts of species invasion and climate change. There are no copyright restrictions on the data, and please cite this data paper when using the data in publications.

Fil: Tagliaferro, Marina Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina

Fil: Tonella, Lívia Helena. Universidade Estadual de Maringá. Departamento de Engenharia Química. Laboratorio de Pesquisa.; Brasil

Fil: Ruaro, Renata. Universidade Estadual de Maringá. Departamento de Engenharia Química. Laboratorio de Pesquisa.; Brasil

Fil: Carmassi, Alberto Luciano. Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo; Brasil. Universidade Federal do São Carlos; Brasil

Fil: Sanches, Alexandra. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil. Universidade Federal do São Carlos; Brasil

Fil: Barroso Vitorino Júnior, Oscar. Instituto Natureza do Tocantins-Naturatins; Brasil

Fil: Teixeira, Adonias Aphoena Martins. Universidade Estadual da Paraiba; Brasil

Fil: Silva Hilsdorf, Alexandre Wagner. Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes; Brasil

Fil: Lobato de Magalhães, Tatiana. Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro.; México