Abstract:
The leopard coral grouper (
Plectropomus leopardus) is a high-value marine fish species with significant economic and ornamental importance. In recent decades, wild populations of this species have declined markedly due to overfishing and degradation of coral reef habitats, making artificial breeding and aquaculture essential pathways for its sustainable utilization and conservation. This review first summarizes the biological characteristics of
P. leopardus, including its geographic distribution, habitat preferences, and reproductive traits. We then systematically review recent advances in artificial reproduction, hatchery-based seed production, and aquaculture practices, with particular emphasis on broodstock management, induced spawning techniques, larval rearing strategies, embryonic and larval developmental processes, and grow-out culture systems. Subsequently, the physiological and ecological characteristics of larvae and juveniles are discussed, focusing on the effects of key environmental factors such as temperature, salinity, and photoperiod on embryonic development, larval survival, growth performance, and stress tolerance. Furthermore, recent progress in genomic resources and breeding technologies is highlighted, including the construction of high-resolution genome maps, the development of SNP arrays, and the application of genomic selection and other molecular breeding approaches. Finally, major bottlenecks in current artificial breeding and aquaculture of
P. leopardus are identified, and future research directions are proposed, emphasizing the optimization of fully industrialized hatchery technologies, the development of intelligent and intensive aquaculture systems, the establishment of genome-assisted breeding frameworks, and the cultivation of disease-resistant and fast-growing strains. This review aims to provide a comprehensive theoretical foundation and technical reference to support the sustainable and high-quality development of the leopard coral grouper aquaculture industry.