Two New Species of Sphaerodactylus from Eastern Cuba (Squamata: Gekkonidae)

Two new species of Sphaerodactylus are described from eastern Cuba: S. schwartzi is from low elevation xeric habitats in western Guantánamo Province, and S. cricoderus is from moderate elevations on the north and south slopes of the Sierra Maestra in Santiago de Cuba Province. The two new taxa appear to be sister species and allied to S. ramsdeni, also endemic to eastern Cuba. Together, these three species form the ramsdeni group, which is characterized by dark, short-snouted species with very small dorsal scales, more than one internasal, and lack of marked sexual dichromatism. Convergence in the genus Sphaerodactylus is discussed, and two ecomorphs are proposed (mesic forest and xeric forest).