Description: The shells vary in size from a few millimeters to about 20 mm. They are oval to squat spherical. The ribs are fully developed; only three species in the Paleogene and Neogene of Europe have ribs that are largely reduced to the base, with the dorsum being smooth. The aperture is narrow. The fossula is well developed. No dorsal groove is present. Most species have a humped dorsum and the outer edge of the aperture lip is shouldered. The shell coloration is characterized by a dorsum that is beige, reddish, or brown and may be spotted, and a whitish base. Radula: taenioglossus according to the formula 2-1-1-1-2: The rachidial tooth is square in shape. Biology: FRETTER & GRAHAM (1981: 329) and LEBOUR (1931) have contributed considerably to our knowledge of nutrition, lifestyle, and reproduction. Extant species of the genus Trivia are largely adapted to cold water. They have a planktotrophic larval stage (LILTVED, 2000: 35) but are nevertheless largely endemic. Representatives of this genus have been found on tunicates, bryozoans, under rocks, sand, and muddy substrates. Distribution: The first species were found in the Lower Eocene of Europe. They can also be found in the Myccene strata of the Caribbean and the eastern USA. They are presently found in the Mediterranean, in the north along the western European coast as far south as Norway, and in the south on the west African coast and the Caribbean, with relatively few species. An amphiatlantic species occurs in the westernmost Mediterranean, northern West Africa, the Canary Islands, and the northern Caribbean: Trivia candidula (GASKOIN, 1836) (FEHSE, 1999a). Discussion: The forms of this genus are characterized primarily by the absence of a dorsal groove and by a dorsal hump or boss. This hump is more or less developed in the individual species. Contrary to all other publications, this genus is a purely Atlantic and Caribbean group. No fossil or recent evidence has yet been found to establish a distribution in the Pacific, Indo-Pacific, and Indian Oceans, or adjacent waters. The recently described Trivia (Trivia) cylindrica DOLIN, 2001 (junior synonym of Trivirostra elongata MA, 1997) completely lacks the characteristic boss. Furthermore, the intercostal spaces appear to exhibit the granulation characteristic of Trivirostra (FEHSE, 1998: 41), which is often fused, and the sides are also rounded without edges. Therefore, as already correctly stated by MA (1997: 233, 264), this species certainly belongs to Trivirostra, for which the pure white coloration is a further indication.