Shell, thick, solid, polished, elongated, oval-pointed. Aperture ovate, longer than broad; columella usually with a tooth-like projection in the middle.
The members of this genus usually live on or among algae from near low tide to several fathoms deep and are given the vernacular name Seaweed Shells. With their vividly coloured and polished surface and rich, iridescent, nacreous inner layer they lend themselves for use in decoration and many of the species are sought after for necklaces, etc. They are used both in the natural state and after removal of the outer shell layer to reveal the brilliantly coloured nacre. TYPE SPECIES Trochus eximius Perry, 1811.

Shell elongate ovate, thick, polished, apex acute, whorls regularly spirally microscopically striate; aperture vertically ovate, higher than wide; columella slightly arcuate, typically with a single projecting tooth below the middle.