On the basis of morphoanatomical parameters, the sand smelt species (Atherina boyeri Risso, 1810) is viewed as a highly polymorphic complex. In this study, intraspecific sequence variation in a portion of the cytochrome b gene was examined in 88 individuals from Tunisia and France. The correlation between the results of statistical analysis of the sequence data using a variety of tree-building algorithms and morphoanatomical analyses demonstrated the subdivision into three putative species: A. boyeri, which only includes non-punctuated fishes, A. punctata, which corresponds to punctuated fishes and A. lagunae, which corresponds to atherines living in lagoons.

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A total of 24 digenean species belonging to 10 distinct families (Derogenidae, Faustulidae, Fellodistomidae, Gyliauchenidae, Hemiuridae, Lepocreadiidae, Mesometridae, Monorchiidae, Opecoelidae and Zoogonidae) were recorded in sparid fishes from Bizerte Lagoon (northern Tunisia). The diversity of the digenean fauna of sparid fishes from this locality is compared to that recorded from the Gulf of Tunis. Prodistomum polonii, not detected before, was found in Sarpa salpa. Aphallus rubalo, Derogenes latus, Holorchis micracanthum and Pachycreadium carnosum previously recorded from sparid fishes on the Tunisian coasts were absent during this study. Allopodocotyle pedicellata, Lepocreadium pegorchis, L. album, Proctoeces maculatus, Magnibursatus bartolii and Macvicaria maillardi were reported in hosts not previously reported for the Gulf of Tunis. Generally, prevalence was higher in fishes from Bizerte Lagoon but abundance and mean intensity were higher in Gulf of Tunis. Except for Lithognathus mormyrus, Sarpa salpa and Sparus aurata from Bizerte Lagoon, which show higher digenean diversity, the other sparid fishes have a lower diversity compared to those from Gulf of Tunis. The species richness of digeneans in B. boops was the same in the two areas studied.

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