Dautzenbergia comitari Zettler & Hendrycks & Freiwald 2022, comb. nov.

Dautzenbergia comitari (Myers & Hall-Spencer, 2004) comb. nov.

Pleusymtes comitari Myers & Hall-Spencer, 2004: 1029–1032, figs. 1–3

Locus typicus: North Atlantic, off south-west Ireland, Porcupine Bank, 730 m.

Distribution: Only known from the type locality, “Twin Mounds” sea mound in water depths between 725–900 m (Myers & Hall-Spencer 2004). Associated with the gorgonian Acanthogorgia sp.

Remarks. Myers & Hall-Spencer (2004) placed this species into the genus Pleusymtes (family Pleustidae). However, our study has shown that it cannot be retained in the Pleustidae based on the following atypical and non-pleustid characters: mandibular left lacinia with 5 teeth, mandibular palp article 3 with facial A3 setae not basally clustered; urosome 2 dorsally not shortened; uropods 1–2 rami apices lacking spines and telson incised, lacking a ventral keel.

The ventral keel of the telson in pleustids is an important, diagnostic character and the lack of the keel clearly excludes all Dautzenbergia species from that family. We here transfer it to Dautzenbergia, based on the following characters: strongly anteriorly directed, pointed coxa 1; the strongly dissimilar, raptorial gnathopods with gnathopod 2 massive; the toothed dactyls of the pereopods; the long, lanceolate, subequal rami of the uropods lacking apical spines and the incised telson lacking a ventral keel. In combination, these are all characteristic of the genus Dautzenbergia and the five species now included in the genus are very distinctive and form a recognizable, morphological group.