Erginia (asteraceae: Cichorieae: Crepidinae), a New Genus Accommodating Chondrilla Spinosa, an Orphan Species of Localized Distribution in Southeastern Anatolia

The new genus Erginia is established to accommodate Chondrilla spinosa, a species of previously uncertain systematic placement, with a highly localized distribution in Southeastern Anatolia (Türkiye) on alpine screes along two mountain ridges. Although there has been general agreement that the species is a member of the subtribe Crepidinae in its wider sense, including the Chondrillinae, its placement in Chondrilla is based on the superficial resemblance of its achene features, which also do not match any other known genus, and no molecular phylogenetic analysis had clarified its sister group. In this study, we produce additional micro- and macromorphological as well as palynological data and employ molecular phylogenetic analyses to ascertain the relationship of the species. The phylogenetic trees, one based on nrDNA ITS and the other on plastid DNA markers, show that the species is not a member of the clade comprising Chondrilla and related genera but is nested in a polytomy among other Crepidinae genera, without indicating a relationship to any of them. Together with the micro- and macromorphological evidence, this supports the conclusion that the species represents an orphan lineage within Crepidinae, best recognized as a genus of its own. Based on our field observations, the conservation status of Erginia spinosa is assessed as Endangered (EN) due to its very restricted distribution.