moon snail; moon shell
Refers to snails of the family Naticidae, known for their round shells.
I picked up a moon snail shell on the beach.
Akoya pearl oyster; Marten's pearl oyster
Specifically Pinctada fucata martensii, the oyster used for Akoya pearls. Cross-referenced with 阿古屋貝.
See also: アコヤ貝
The Akoya pearl oyster is used in pearl farming.
tiger moon shell
Katakana spelling is common for this organism name; usually written in kana.
Kanji spelling; rarely used in practice.
Alternate kanji spelling; rarely used.
The name タマガイ literally means 'jewel shellfish', from 玉 (たま, jewel) and 貝 (かい, shellfish). The exact historical derivation is uncertain.