Good Luck Charms on Okinawa – The Chiragra Spider Conch

Conch shells are locally collected for food on Okinawa. The shells are used for shell craft and jewelry. The Chiragra spider conch (Harpago chiragra) is considered a good luck charm. It is known to bring good fortune, worn of evil spirits, and provide protection against fire. The Okinawans place the Chiragra spider conch on the outside of houses and buildings.

Chiragra spider conch (Harpago chiragra)
Chiragra spider conch (Harpago chiragra)

Below are some of my favorite conch shells found in Okinawa.

Lambis scorpius - scorpion conch
Lambis scorpius


The beautiful conch shells are commonly confused with the hazardous cone shells. The main difference is that conch shells have a stromboid notch. A small side slit or indentation which allows the animal to see while moving.  The conch shells movement is much different as well, they travel using a jumping style movement instead of a steady crawling motion.

Strawberry conch shells © Shawn Miller Conomurex luhuanus
Conomurex luhuanus

My daughter and I found this mutated strawberry conch shell in 2018. This is the first four-eyed conch shell I have seen. They naturally have two eyes, not four.

Strawberry conch
Mutated four-eyed conch © Shawn Miller

 My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

This site is also designed to help people identify the beautiful animals of Okinawa, basically to serve as an online nature reference guide. If you would like to make a contribution to support my mission, please click on the donation link  paypal.me/maketheswitch4nature

Your donations will help conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines.  Thank you for your support, Shawn M Miller.

Seashells of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

The beautiful seashells of the Ryukyu Islands.

It all started in 1989,  I went to a friend’s house and saw some beautiful seashells displayed on a counter-top.  My first thought was that they were fake or man-made. The intricate design of the Venus Comb Murex shell caught my eye.  I was fascinated by the design and wanted to learn more about the animal that produced this beautiful shell.

Murex spicatus -Venus comb murex

Murex spicatus -Venus comb murex© Shawn Miller

I continued to collect,  photograph and read more about marine mollusks from the Ryukyu Islands. I eventually started contributing my collection samples to worldwide museums, scientists, specialists and images for various scientific publications. I currently do not collect shells anymore but enjoy photographing the marine snails in their natural habitat.

General rules to shell collecting

  • Be respectful of the environment.
  • Only collect dead specimens
  • Avoid over collecting sea-shells
  • If you turn over rocks, place them back in the original position
  • Return all unwanted shells back to the coastline

Below are some of my favorite shells found on Okinawa.

Semipallium dianae - scallop

Semipallium dianae © Shawn Miller

Neocancilla takiisaoi

Neocancilla takiisaoi © Shawn Miller

Cardium victor - Heart shell

Cardium victor – Heart shell © Shawn Miller

Lambis scorpius - scorpion conch

Lambis scorpius – scorpion conch © Shawn Miller

Morum ponderosum

Morum ponderosum © Shawn Miller

Annachlamys reevei

Annachlamys reevei © Shawn Miller

Chicoreus ryukyuensis

Chicoreus ryukyuensis © Shawn Miller

Cypraea (Blasicrura) luchuana (Kuroda,1960) Okinawa

Cypraea (Blasicrura) luchuana  © Shawn Miller

Gloripallium speciosum

Gloripallium speciosum – sunray scallop © Shawn Miller

Avoid handling the venomous cone shells.  They are often found reef walking during low tide.

Venomous cones shells of Okinawa

Venomous cones shells of Okinawa © Shawn Miller

The trident trumpet is sought after for its beauty. This marine snail is one of the few natural predators of the crown of thorn starfish. This large snail also feeds on a variety of starfish as well.

Trident trumpet © Shawn Miller

Trident trumpet © Shawn Miller

Sinezona milleri (Geiger & Sasaki, 2009) – Named for the collector of the type specimens, Shawn Miller of Nagahama, Okinawa, for his continued support in malacological research by providing marine sediment samples of Okinawa.

Sinezona milleri (Geiger & Sasaki , 2009)

Sinezona milleri (Geiger & Sasaki , 2009)

Hemilienardia shawnmilleri.  A new species named after naturalist and underwater photographer Shawn Miller. Described by Shawn Wiedrick.

Hemilienardia shawnmilleri

Hemilienardia shawnmilleri

Calliostoma shawni (Poppe & Tagarao, 2020). A new species from Okinawa named after naturalist and underwater photographer Shawn Miller

Calliostoma shawni (Poppe & Tagarao, 2020)

Calliostoma shawni (Poppe & Tagarao, 2020)

This Giant helmet shell (Cassis cornuta) conformed around the rubber gasket (Marine debris).  An interesting photograph, but our trash is becoming a serious problem.

Helmet shell and rubber gasket

Helmet shell and rubber gasket © Shawn Miller

My daughter and I found this mutated strawberry conch shell in 2018. This is the first four-eyed conch shell I have seen. They naturally have two eyes, not four.

Strawberry conch

Mutated four-eyed conch © Shawn Miller

 My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

This site is also designed to help people identify the beautiful animals of Okinawa, basically to serve as an online nature reference guide. If you would like to make a contribution to support my mission, please click on the donation link  paypal.me/maketheswitch4nature

Your donations will help conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines.  Thank you for your support, Shawn M Miller.

#MakeTheSwitch4Nature

Know your nature with Shawn Miller. Have a great day!