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The Western green lizard (Lacerta bilineata) is a lacertid distributed throughout Mediterranean and Central Europe. Little is known about the morphological variability and sexual shape differences in this species. In this paper, the variation of the cephalic scales in L. bilineata is analysed by means of a geometric morphometric approach. A main structural pattern is characterized by negative allometry of the frontal and interparietal areas, and positive allometry of the parietal and frontoparietal scales. Sexual differences are described both in size and shape. In males, the scales are generally larger, with relative shortening of the frontal area, frontoparietal enlargement, occipital lengthening and bulging of the parietal scales, which compresses and narrows the interparietal and occipital areas midsagittally. This pattern is based on a shared allometric trajectory, with males displaying a peramorphic morphotype. However …