Fritillaria yakutiae sp. nov. (Liliaceae) from Surkhandarya, Uzbekistan

A new species, Fritillaria yakutiae (Liliaceae), is described from the
Babatag Range in the Surkhandarya region of Uzbekistan. The species is
placed within the subgenus Rhinopetalum of the genus Fritillaria.
Morphologically, F. yakutiae closely resembles F. bucharica and F.
baisunensis but differs in key floral characteristics, including the color
and pattern of the perianth and anthers. Phylogenetic analyses based on
complete chloroplast genome sequences confirm its placement within the
Rhinopetalum clade, forming a strongly supported sister relationship with
F. bucharica, F. gibbosa, and F. baisunensis. The chloroplast genome of F.
yakutiae has a total length of 151,757 bp and contains 130 annotated
genes, including 84 protein-coding genes. The species is currently known
only from its type locality, where approximately 300 mature individuals
were recorded in 2020. Given the limited available data on its
distribution and population trends, F. yakutiae is assessed as Data
Deficient (DD) under the IUCN Red List criteria.