dermochelyid

Loss of scutes (and corresponding loss of sucli on the underlying shell plates) is widely regarded as a derived condition that has occurred independently in trionychids, advanced carettochelyids (Carettochelyidae), and derived sea turtles such as dermochelyids and protostegids (e.g., Meylan 1988; Hirayama and Chitoku 1996).