Genus Deania Jordon & Snyder, 1902

Birdbeaked Dogfishes

Deania Jordan & Snyder, 1902: 80 . Type species: Deania eglantina Jordan & Snyder, 1902, by monotypy, a junior synonym of Acanthidium calceum Lowe, 1839 .

Remarks: Three species of Deania ( D. calceus, D. profundorum, D. quadrispinosa) have long been reported to occur in South African waters, however a fourth species ( D. hystricosa) was listed by Compagno (1999), but without explanation. Compagno (2016) and Weigmann (2016) subsequently listed this species as occurring off South Africa, but we are unaware of any verified specimens attributed to this species. Furthermore, the validity of D. hystricosa and the nomenclature for the genus is currently under investigation (S. Tanaka, Tokai University, pers. comm.).