Fishes that spawn semi-buoyant eggs serve as important indicators of river ecological health. Understanding their species distribution and reproductive habits is crucial. In this paper, detailed data were collected from various sources to clarify species composition of fishes that spawn semi-buoyant eggs in rivers of China, alongside their distribution across water resource areas (Class I) and reproductive habits. The main findings are as follows: (1) A total of 61 species have been identified, including 14 threatened and 35 endemic species; (2) The Yangtze River and the Pearl River regions exhibit the highest species richness of these fishes, with a relatively high proportion of threatened species, making them key areas for the conservation of these fishes; (3) 29 species have specific flow velocity requirements during spawning. The proportion of species that spawn in June and later, as well as those with a minimum spawning water temperature below 16°C, exhibits a trend of higher rates in the north and lower rates in the south; (4) The average diameter of the semi-buoyant eggs before absorption was 1.43 mm, increasing to 4.36 mm after absorption, resulting in an average expansion rate of 328.2%. The average incubation time ranged from 12.4 to 44.4 hours at temperatures between 20.3 and 28.0°C. These results provide critical support for the development of ecological management plans for reservoirs and the conservation of fish species that spawn semi-buoyant eggs in river systems.