also: ざるがいか
noun
Cardiidae; cockle family
Taxonomic term for the family of bivalve molluscs that includes cockles. Used in biological contexts.
ザルガイ科には食用になる種も多い。
Many species in the Cardiidae family are edible.
ザルガイ refers to a cockle (the animal itself), while ザルガイ科 is the taxonomic family name.
From ザルガイ (cockle) + 科 (taxonomic family suffix). The origin of ザルガイ is uncertain, but it likely derives from 笊 (zaru, 'bamboo basket') + 貝 (kai, 'shellfish'), referring to the ribbed shell resembling a basket.