Abstract: The invasion of exotic fishes possesses a serious threat to local ecosystems and has received attention for ecologists and natural resource conservationists. In 1978, Coptodon zillii was firstly introduced into China for aquacultural purposes. Due to its strong ecological adaptability, it has already invaded into many natural water systems in south of the Yangtze River, with a tendency to expand to the north. However, domestic researches on the invasion of Coptodon zilli commenced relatively late, and had primarily focused on fundamental aspects. It is critically needed to summarize its invasion biology and hence put forward feasible prevention and control methods. Here, we give an overview of the origin, distribution, biological characteristics, pathways of introduction, invasion status, potential hazards and prevention and control strategies of Coptodon zillii, and analyze the problems and challenges of invasion mechanism research and management. We proposed four main aspects for the future development of invasion biology research: (1) comprehensively collecting background data of the invasion of Coptodon zillii; (2) elucidating the patterns and mechanisms of life history plasticity and ecological niche changes of Coptodon zillii, analyzing the population dispersal patterns, and establishing models and scenarios to predict the future trend of the invasion; (3) utilizing the emerging multi-omics technology to screen the key genes for environmental adaptation, and analyzing the molecular genetic basis of its rapid adaptation; (4) based on the elucidation of the invasion mechanism, gradually establishing an integrated prevention and control system to provide new ideas for prevention and control of Coptodon zillii.

Key words: Coptodon zillii, invasion, management