California Trivia, Pseudopusula californiana

California Trivia, Pseudopusula californiana. Size: 1.1 cm (0.4 inches) x 0.9 cm (0.4 inches). Collection, photograph and identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

The California Trivia, Pseudopusula californiana (Gray, 1827), is a member of the Triviidae Family of Trivia Shells, that is also known as the Coffee Bean Trivia. The shells have twelve ribs that cross the shell, stopping and leaving a narrow gap at the apex of the dorsal surface, an internal spire with a curved slit-like aperture both lips of which are toothed. The exterior of the shells are dark purple-brown in color and the gap is light gray. The California Trivia reach a maximum length of 1.3 cm (0.5 inches).

California Trivias are found attached to and under rocks in the intertidal zone to depths up to 50 feet. They range from Northern California to Acapulco and are also found in the southern half of the Sea of Cortez.

Synonyms include Cypraea californiana, Cypraea californica, Pusula californiana, Pusula californica, and Trivia californiana.