noun
toothed top shell; Monodonta labio
A small marine snail with a checkered shell pattern, found on rocky shores in the Indo-Pacific. The Japanese name literally means 'paving-stone shell'.
潮だまりでイシダタミガイを見つけた。
I found a toothed top shell in the tide pool.
Katakana spelling is standard for this species name.
Kanji spelling is rare; the word is usually written in kana.
From 石畳 (ishidatami, 'stone paving') + 貝 (kai, 'shell'), referring to the shell's resemblance to a paved stone surface. The exact derivation is uncertain.