Blaine's Bug of the Day

[Beetle guy]

Nice 

[bmathison1972]

Time to revisit the western Hercules beetle, Dynastes granti Horn, 1870. This beetle is special to me as I would collect it in my home state of Arizona! They were common about this time of the year too!

1. DeAgostini (World Insect Data Book)
2. Access Toys
3. 4D Master (Beetle Collection)
4. Sega (Mushi King)
5. Sega
6. Sega
7. F-toys (Insect Hunter)
8. Epoch (Flying Beetles)

[AnimalToyForum]

The ones with the wing cases up and the wings outstretched are rather special.

The colour and pattern reminds me of bird eggs.

[Beetle guy]

It is form the original 4-D Master series. Many of the first series came with wings.
Last 5 years there have been a load of rip-offs (copies) with worse paint, detail and materials.

Collectors of these 4D puzzles I would certainly recommend to try and get the original 4D-Master ones, though their a hard find. They are much better!

[Beetle guy]

Nice line-up blaine. One of my favorite beetles!!

[bmathison1972]

Getting more figures of species already in my museum allows me to revisit more taxa. Today, it's the box crab Calappa lophos (Herbst, 1782). When Kaiyodo first released this species I thought it was a brilliant choice. Now they have three and they are all based on the same design. It is my understanding that Ikimon Nature Techni Colour will be releasing one later this year or next as well.

From left to right, all by Kaiyodo:
-Aquatales 2018
-Capsule Q Japanese Crabs Collection
-Aquatales (Kurioso Komekko Series 2)

[AnimalToyForum]

I think I prefer the version without a base.

Do you know if its unusual arms are an adaptation for anything in particular?

[bmathison1972]

I think I prefer the version without a base.

Do you know if its unusual arms are an adaptation for anything in particular?

I do not, but given the name 'box crab' I wonder if it is to close itself in, for defensive purposes.

I myself prefer bases

[AnimalToyForum]

I think I prefer the version without a base.

Do you know if its unusual arms are an adaptation for anything in particular?

I do not, but given the name 'box crab' I wonder if it is to close itself in, for defensive purposes.

I myself prefer bases

Yes, that sounds reasonable. 

[bmathison1972]

Since I first treated the genus Vespa on BOTD I have acquired a few more figures (and species). Today we revisit the commonly-made giant Asian hornet, Vespa mandarinia Smith, 1852 (and with the species epithet spelled right this time!). This species is no stranger to the Japanese companies, and at the time of this writing I have 9 figures, 8 adults and one larva:

Clockwise, from top left:
1. Mushibuchi
2. Subarudo [this is the same sculpt in the Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. series]
3. Kaiyodo (Sanitary Insect Pest Exhibition)
4. BREAK Co., LTD (Super Realistic Hornet Strap)
5. Aico (Insect Set to the Party Box)
6. Kaiyodo (Choco Q Animatales)
7. Shineg (Larvae Moei) [the only known hornet larva figure I am aware of!]
8. Yujin (Insects of Japan Series 1)
9. Rement

[Isidro]

Nice collection, but the 5 looks like much more a honeybee than a vespid.

[bmathison1972]

Nice collection, but the 5 looks like much more a honeybee than a vespid.

It's a very generic figure; I think they used a generic bee for the body but the eyes and color are clearly a hornet. Besides, it's a Japanese company and I don't know a single honeybee made by a traditional Japanese company. Vespa mandarinia is the 'go-two' winged hymenopteran. Sometimes when trying to determine a species, it helps to look at cultural trends.

[bmathison1972]

Since I just did a walk-around of the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria (Linnaeus, 1758), time to revisit this figure on BOTD! Interestingly most figures of this species depict the stationary phase (notable exception, number 6 below).

Clockwise from top:
1. 4D Master (Insect Collection)
2. Furuta (Insect Science)
3. Rement
4. Hayakwa Toys (Insects Collection - Special)*
5. Funrise Toys (World of Nature Insect Collection)*
6. Kaiyodo (Natural Monuments)
7. Yujin (Insects of Japan Series 2)
8. Takara TOMY A.R.T.S. (B.I.G. Insects - 2018)
9. Furuta (10 Year Anniversary Collection) [this was a re-release of the original Kaiyodo Choco Q Animales figure]

*these two figures are essentially generic green grasshoppers, but they were specifically marketed as L. migratoria.

[bmathison1972]

I have 67 species of Lucanidae (stag beetles) in my collection, but today I review one of the most interesting, Homoderus mellyi Parry, 1862, as I just added my fourth specimen of this species to my collection.

Clockwise from top left:
1. DeAgostini (World Insect Data Book)
2. Wing Mau
3. Sega
4. Access Toys

[bmathison1972]

Been busy tonight with my real entomology work, so had to do a quick-and-dirty update for BOTD. Here, another lucanid beetle that I recently acquired additional figures of, Cyclommatus elaphus Gestro, 1881. Cyclommatus species are not commonly made; I have five species in the genus but no more than one to a few of each.

Left to right, top to bottom:
1. DeAgostini (World Insect Data Book) [sorry for the glare on the box]
2. Access Toys
3. Kabaya (Insect Directory)
4. Sega

[bmathison1972]

A double dose today, to make up for not having an update yesterday. Continuing with lucanids I have added more specimens of to my collection.

First up, Lucanus gamunus Sawada & Watanabe, 1960. When most people think of Lucanus, they think of L. elaphus in the U.S. or L. cervus in Europe. Among figures, the dominant choice is the Asian L. maculifemoratus. But here we get the less-familiar L. gamunus.

Left to right:
1. Kaiyodo (Choco Q Animatales)
2. Kaiyodo (Choco Q Animatales Be-Pal Special Edition)
3. Kaiyodo (Choco Q Animatales Be-Pal Special Edition)
4. Sega

[figures 1-3 are the same sculpt]



Next the rainbow stag beetle, Phalacrognathus muelleri (MacLeay, 1885). This figure has received a little more attention, and from more manufacturers:

Left to right, top to bottom:
1. DeAgostini (World Insect Data Book) [this is the female which was a 'secret' figure]
2. DeAgostini (World Insect Data Book)
3. Colorata (Tropical Rain Forest Stag Beetles)
4. Cadbury (Yowies Series 3)
5. XX
6. Access Toys
7. F-toys (Encyclopedia of Insects Vol. 3)

[bmathison1972]

Another lucanid I have added to in the last year (as you can probably tell I am using the recent Access Toys sets to review several species...), Allotopus rosenbergi (Snellen von Vollenhoven et Parry, 1872). While this species is commonly made, there is a second species in the genus which is much less-commonly made in toy/figure form.

Left to right, top to bottom:

1. Sega [large series, standard]
2. F-toys (Encyclopedia of Insects Vol. 3]
3. Colorata (Tropical Rain Forest Stag Beetles)
4. unknown (Japanese/Asian) manufacturer
5. Sega (Mushi King)
6. Sega [DX, small]
7. Epoch (Beetle Battle 2)
8. Access Toys
9. Sega
10. Hayakwa Toys (Insects Collection - Special)
11. Sega [standard series, small]
12. Sega [magnet set]
13. Sega

[note: not shown here is the boxed DeAgostini figure, which I do possess]

[bmathison1972]

And now, the graceful, Eupatorus gracilicornis Arrow, 1908. A regular, albeit not common-made, figure! These figures all seem to represent the nominate subspecies (see the third image for another).

From left to right, top to bottom:
1. Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.
2. 4D Master (Beetle Collection)
3. Colorata (Tropical Rain Forest Rhinoceros Beetles)
4. Access Toys
5. Kabaya (World Insect Series 1)
6. Sega (Mushi King, fighting beetles)
7. Sega (small series, standard)
8. Sega (mini)
9. Hayakwa Toys (Insects Collection - Special).



And a couple interesting presentations, a boxed figure by DeAgostini (World Insect Data Book) and Epoch (Flying Beetles):



Lastly, three other members of the genus, all by Sega in their small standard series. From left to right:

1. Eupatorus hardwickei (Hope, 1831)
2. Eupatorus gracilicornis edai Hirasawa, 1991
3. Eupatorus siamensis (Laporte de Castelnau, 1867)

[bmathison1972]

March of the elephant...beetles! Megasoma elephas (Fabricius, 1775). Probably the second most commonly-made American beetle species.

From left to right, top to bottom:
1. F-toys (Itakon- Itami City Museum of Insects)
2. 4D Master (Beetle Collection)
3. Wing Mau
4. Sega (Mushi King)
5. Kabaya (Insect Directory)
6. Colorata (Tropical Rain Forest Rhinoceros Beetles)
7. Sega [small series, standard]
8. Epoch (Beetle Battle 2)
9. Access Toys
10. Hayakwa Toys (Insect Collection - Special)
11. Maruka (The Strongest Beetle Legend)
12. Sega

[represented but not shown: DeAgostini (World Insect Data Book)]

[Beetle guy]

Like these Bug of the Day posts!

I thought you had the Megasoma elaphas from DeAgostini also.