noun
violet snail; common purple snail
A pelagic sea snail (Janthina janthina) that floats on a bubble raft. The Japanese name literally means 'morning glory shell'.
海岸でアサガオガイの殻を見つけた。
I found a violet snail shell on the beach.
Katakana spelling is common for this species name; usually written in kana.
Kanji spelling exists but is rarely used; the word is usually written in kana.
From 朝顔 (morning glory) + 貝 (shellfish), referring to the shell's resemblance to a morning glory flower.