noun
fan lobster; sand crayfish
Refers to crustaceans of the genus Ibacus, especially the Japanese fan lobster (Ibacus ciliatus). The name comes from the body shape resembling a flat fan (団扇).
ウチワエビは平たい体が特徴的なエビです。
The fan lobster is a shrimp characterized by its flat body.
市場で珍しいウチワエビを見つけた。
I found a rare fan lobster at the market.
イセエビ is the Japanese spiny lobster, a different species with a cylindrical body, unlike the flat fan lobster.
Compound of 団扇 (uchiwa, 'round fan') + 海老 (ebi, 'shrimp/lobster'), from the fan-like shape of the body.