Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Phoca largha, most commonly known as the spotted or largha seal, is a species of earless seal inhabiting the waters of the Northern Pacific from Alaska to the Yellow Sea. It is sometimes mistaken for the closely-related harbor seal (P.
More fish! And this time, another of my favorite type of fish! Yes, it’s another bichir, and another saddled bichir Polypterus endlicheri, a species that I discussed quite some time ago (the Colorata figure). Which I suppose means I won’t need to go into too many details about the species, so I’ll be able to discuss the figure more at length–and then discuss the surprise little extra with the figure (spoiled in the title I suppose).
This figure is the Three-spined Stickleback (or Tiddler, or Tiddlebat, in Great Britain, because that’s kind of hilarious), Gasterosteus aculeatus, number 12 from the first series. This is the only representative of the stickleback order in the set; phylogenetically, they are grouped with more familiar spiny fish like scorpionfish, sea-robins and wolffish (at one time they were grouped with seahorses, pipefish and kin in Sygnathiformes, but that is no longer considered correct).
Bombyx mori, the domestic silkworm moth, is a wholly domesticated species of insect. The origin of B. mori is unknown, but is believed to be descended from an extinct moth that shares a common ancestor with the wild silk moth, B. mandarina. Domestication is thought to have originated in China over 5,000 years ago.
This figure is the Japanese Rice Fish (or Medaka or Japanese Killifish), Oryzias latipes, number 11 from the first series. This is the only beloniforme fish in the set; this order includes other surface-oriented fish like flying fish, needlefish and halfbeaks (but, not killifish—taxonomy can be weird). The Japanese Rice fish is found throughout Eastern Asia*, living in a wide range of shallow and slow-moving bodies of water like rice paddies, marshes, streams and tidal pools (it is a fresh- and brackish-water fish).
The original post: This figure is the Paradise Fish (or Paradise Gourami), Macropodus chinensis (but see note below), number 10 from the first series. This is the first and only anabantid figure in the set. The Paradise Fish is a generalist species that is found, like many of the fish in the series, in waterways throughout eastern Asia from Korea to Vietnam.
The common, or plains zebra (Equus quagga), is the most widespread and common of Africa’s three species of zebra. It occurs in south and east Africa, although its range is greatly fragmented. In addition to their native range in Africa the common zebra can also be found in a rather unlikely place, California!
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) of Australasia is nearly as iconic a parrot as the macaws of South America. It is also one of the smartest and longest living of all birds, with some captive individuals lasting well into their 70s, and a few even surpassing 100 years.
This figure is the Rosy Bitterling or Baratanago, Rodeus ocellatus, number 09 from the first series (the Yujin paper refers to it as the subspecies R.o. ocellatus but it appears all subspecies may have been collapsed together—there is some discrepancy there). The Rosy bitterling is a cyprinid (carps & minnows) found in two populations, in Japan and mainland China and Taiwan.
Review and images by stemturtle; edited by bmathison1972
The release of a figure that represents a neglected phylum is a wish come true for the synoptic collector. A velvet worm, also referred to as a peripatus (when unitalicized), belongs to phylum Onychophora. It resembles a caterpillar with antennae, having 13 to 43 pairs of stubby legs, corresponding to body segmentation.
Recently, those of us that are big fans of unusual fish have been a little spoiled by Japanese sets. As is common, they are featuring some unique species that are visually or culturally striking. In this case, Takara Tomy brought us a set of fish that are notable for being scary looking, notorious, and somehow engaging for fishing (I think).
The Border Collie is a British breed of herding dog. It is believed to have originated along the border between England and Scotland (hence the term ‘border’ collie). It was originally bred to herd sheep, and today is most common in regions of the world with communities that herd livestock. In addition to sheep, they are also used nowadays to herd cattle, poultry, pigs, and even ostriches!
This figure is the Pale Chub, known in Japan as Oikawa, Zacco platypus, number 08 from the first series. We appear to now be beyond the salmonids; the Pale Chub is another cyprinid (‘minnow’). The Pale chub is a small carnivore that is normally found along eastern Asia from the Korean peninsula south to Vietnam.
This figure is the Big-scaled Redfin, known in Japan as Ugui, Pseudaspius hakonensis (originally posted as Tribolodon hakoensis, but the genus was updated in 2011), number 07 from the first series. It’s the first non-salmonid since the first figure, the Ayu , a smelt. The Big-scaled redfin is one of many true minnows referred to as a ‘dace’, which is not specifically defined as anything other than a type of minnow (kind of a pointless word then…).
This figure is the Japanese Huchen, also known as Sakhalin taimen, Parahucho perryi (apparently, renamed from Hucho), number 06 from the first series. This primitive member of the trout and salmon family is found in limited areas of the northwest Pacific—Hokkaido island in Japan, the Russian Sakhelin Island, and far-eastern portions of mainland Russia.