Native to the rainforests of equatorial West Africa, the emperor scorpion, Pandinus imperator, is one of the most familiar and popular scorpion species. Its large size, fearsome appearance, docile nature, and mild venom make it very popular in the pet trade. It should be no surprise than that it is the most commonly-made scorpion in the toy market.
Classification: Arachnids
Figure Pictorial Book of Gakken Insect (Bandai)
5 (1 votes)
Today we will be looking at a rather fun set called Figure Pictorial Book of Gakken Insect (well, at least that’s the translation) by Bandai. The set was produced in 2003 and contains five species of Japanese arthropods. When I initially started focusing on arthropods, this was one of my ‘Holy Grail’ collections; luckily I was able to secure it fairly early on.
Flying Peacock Spider (Diversity of Life on Earth: Peacock Spiders by Bandai)
5 (2 votes)
The genus Maratus, commonly referred to as peacock spiders, consists of over 80 species, all endemic to Australia. One must wonder how a single genus of spiders could speciate to this magnitude on a single geographic land mass (although there are some on Tasmania). The answer lies in their courtship rituals.
Black Widow (Fun World by Easter Unlimited, Inc.)
3 (2 votes)
For my final Halloween post, I am reviewing a figure that was specifically sold as a Halloween novelty toy! I am referring to the black widow (Latrodectus mactans) by Fun World, which is a Division of Easter Unlimited, Inc., a novelty shop that sells seasonal and holiday-themed toys, décor, and costumes.
Castor Bean Tick (3B Scientific)
5 (2 votes)
For my next instalment of creepy critters for October, I decided to review the castor bean tick (also known in Europe as the sheep tick, Ixodes ricinus) by Germany-based 3B Scientific. I also chose this figure because it’s my forum avatar, and I have never presented it here.
Scorpion (Wild Animals by Papo)
5 (6 votes)
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
Today I want to introduce you to a creepy crawly that is probably even more abhorred or feared than its close relatives, the spiders. Where I live this is mainly an abstract fear, as there are no scorpions here as of yet (let’s see what climate change brings us within the next 20 years).
Gooty Sapphire Ornamental Tarantula (Animals with Superpowers by Yowie Group)
4 (2 votes)
Poecilotheria metallica is a beautiful theraphosid spider from the forests of Andhra Pradesh in India. It goes by several common names, including the Gooty sapphire ornamental tarantula, blue ornamental tarantula, and peacock tarantula, among others. It is an arboreal species, and like many tropical tarantulas, has a very limited geographic distribution, making it prone to population decline.
Fleas, Lice, and Ticks (Play Visions)
3.5 (2 votes)
OK folks, here we are. I was finally able to complete this holiest of Holy Grail sets, thanks to STS forum member NMR_Okapi who found me the last missing figure! Most of you who follow me on the Blog and forums know I am a professional parasitologist, so it should be no surprise that this has been one of the most sought-after sets for someone like me.
Emperor Scorpion (Revogeo by Kaiyodo)
5 (2 votes)
I decided to migrate over my Revogeo emperor scorpion walkaround from the forum, to make the Kaiyodo Revogeo collection complete (to date) on the Blog. I edited the language to reflect the current year.
Today is a walkaround of the emperor scorpion, Pandinus imperator (Koch, 1842) by Kaiyodo – Revogeo, originally released in 2019, and the first in the Revogeo line.
Black Widow (Little Wonders by CollectA)
4.5 (2 votes)
Finishing up the CollectA 2020 Insects and Spiders collection with the black widow, Latrodectus mactans. Technically, this could represent any of a few widows, but L. mactans is the traditional go-to species. The spider is distributed in the southern and southeastern United States, where it is commonly called the eastern black widow or southern black widow.
Mini Insects and Spiders (Mini Animals Collection by CollectA)
4 (2 votes)
Ever since CollectA started releasing collections of mini dinosaurs based on their larger and standard-size dinosaurs, I knew that if they ever released a set of mini arthropods, it would represent miniature versions of their Insects and Spiders Collection. I was correct. I was not expecting it 2020, but at least I had figured out their plan.
Mexican Red-knee Tarantula (Wild Life by Schleich)
5 (3 votes)
Walkaround of the Mexican red-knee tarantula, Brachypelma smithi (P-Cambridge, 1897) by Schleich, released in 2019. I am going to start with a little taxonomic disclaimer. There is confusion to the identity of spiders referred to as Mexican red-knees, since the description of a cryptic sibling species, B. hamorii Cleton and Verdez, 1997.