Mathison Museum of Natural History

[bmathison1972]

Species: Prosopocoilus inclinatus (Motschulsky, 1857)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kabaya
Series: World Insect Series 1
Year of Release: 2002
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 6.0 cm, within scale 1:1 for a smaller specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: Prosopocoilus inclinatus species is one of the most commonly made beetle species by Japanese companies; at the time of this writing I have 21 specimens. The Kabaya World Insect Series figures are small and single-piece PVC. Many of the figures in both collections were copied by ShanTrip.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan, Taiwan, Korean Peninsula
Habitat: Oak forests
Diet: Larvae breed in rotting logs of Quercus (oak); adults are attracted to sap flows.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Prosopocoilus inclinatus is very common in Japan and is popular with collectors and breeders as it is easy to rear in terraria. Adults are attracted to lights at night and frequently visit porch lights.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Histrio histrio (Linnaeus, 1758) (sargassumfish)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Kurioso Komekko Series 2
Year of Release: 2003
Size/Scale: Figure height, as displayed here off the bottlecap, 4.5 cm (using the bottlecap from another figure in the set that I have, the total height would be 5.5 cm). Body length of fish 4.0 cm for a scale of 1:5 for a large specimen.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique (very rare?)
Miscellaneous Notes: The Kurioso Komekko collection is one of many 'bottlecap' collections by Kaiyodo (I don't have the bottlecap base for this particular figure, which provides the Latin name). Most of these were marketed under their Aquatales line, and were often released in collaboration with a Japanese museum. The fish is safely removable from the algae and will stand freely on its own, but there will be a small, unobtrusive peg under the right pectoral fin. Someday I might buy a complete figure with the bottlecap base...

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas
Habitat: Reefs and drifting seaweed, usually at a depth of 0-50 meters
Diet: Small fish, marine invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Histrio histrio usually lives concealed among floating Sargassum (hence its common name) or other algae. They are well-camouflaged in the algae and are ambush predators on any marine animal small enough to swallow. Like other anglerfish, they can use their esca (a modified fin ray) to lure potential prey.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Morpho helena Staudinger, 1890 (Helena morpho)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Ikimon
Series: Science Techni Colour - Private Specimen of a Lepidopterist Acrylic Mascot 2
Year of Release: 2019
Size/Scale: Wingspan 6.0 cm, for a scale of 1:1.25-1:1.67
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The figures in this set are essentially photographs of butterflies and moths embedded in acrylic. Flip the figure over and the underside reveals an image of the ventral side of the animal, too. They are also sold as keychains (hence the hole in the acrylic above the head). While atypical for figures usually collected by forum members, this set of 10 introduced 7 new species (including this one) into figure form!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Huallaga River Basin, Peru
Habitat: Rainforest
Diet: Larval host plants unknown; larvae of M. rhetenor (see below) feed on legumes in the genus Macrolobium.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Morpho helena is often regarded as a subspecies of M. rhetenor.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque, 1818) (channel catfish)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Toy Fish Factory
Series: American Anglers
Year of Release: 2017
Size/Scale: Body length 6.5 cm for an average scale of 1:8.3-1:10.3 and a scale of 1:20.3 for a maximum-sized specimen.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The three figures of this species I am aware of were made by Replica Toy Fish and its successor, Toy Fish Factory, the former in 3- and 6-inch sizes.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eastern North America; adventive in other areas as game fish
Habitat: Freshwater lakes, ponds, large rivers, reservoirs
Diet: Aquatic plants, freshwater invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and occasionally small birds and mammals.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Ichtalurus punctatus is a popular game fish and has been introduced to other parts of the world, including other parts of North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and South America, for fishing and aquaculture.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Euphractus sexcinctus (Linnaeus, 1758) (six-banded armadillo)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Eikoh
Series: Miniature Planet Vol. 3
Year of Release: 2014
Size/Scale: Figure length 6.2 cm. Head-and-body length 4.0 cm for a scale of 1:10-1:12.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Armadillo figures are generally rarely made, and this is currently a unique species in the toy/figure world. With their small size, sturdy construction, good detail, and taxonomic diversity, I predict Eikoh figures will be pursued some day as Play Visions are today .

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: South America east of the Andes, from southern Suriname to northern Argentina
Habitat: Forests, savannas, cerrados, shrublands, and agricultural fields, usually in drier areas.
Diet: Invertebrates, fruits, tubers, palm nuts, and carrion
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: The name is somewhat misleading as there appears to be seven bands on the body between the pectoral and pelvic shields (the first 'band' is technically part of the pectoral shield). Like other armadillos, E. sexcinctus is fossorial and digs burrows in dry soil.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Isurus oxyrinchus Rafinesque, 1810 (shortfin mako shark)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Sealife
Year of Release: 2014
Size/Scale: Figure length about 12.0 cm. Measured along midline, total body length 15.2 cm for a scale of 1:18-1:26.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: I believe Safari Ltd. started the trend of making mako sharks in this dynamic pose. While Safari updated the posture in their 2017 model, I still prefer this CollectA figure (which is uncommon because normally Safari Ltd. is my go-to for sharks :-).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Worldwide in temperate and tropical oceans
Habitat: Pelagic, at depths of 0-750 meters (usually 100-150 meters)
Diet: Primarily cephalopods and fish; occasionally sea turtles, small cetaceans, sea birds, rarely other sharks
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Isurus oxyrinchus is often regarded as the fastest shark, with top speeds up to 74 kilometers per hour (give or take).

[bmathison1972]

Species: Eubalaena glacialis (Müller, 1776) (North Atlantic right whale)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Sealife
Year of Release: 2017
Size/Scale: Body length 23.0 cm for a scale of 1:54-1:78
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon (genus-level)
Miscellaneous Notes: Safari Ltd. did not designate a species for this figure, so I chose E. glacialis as it is the species associated with the Atlantic coasts of North America, including Florida (and Safari is a Florida-based company). The three species of Eubalaena are morphologically indistinguishable, so a collector can designate any species he or she wishes.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North Atlantic Ocean. In the West, from Artic waters south to the Caribbean. In the East, populations used to go as far south as North Africa (see below).
Habitat: Pelagic, usually at depths of 0-16 meters
Diet: Filter-feeder of marine invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Critically Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Unlike the southern right whale (E. australis), populations of the North Atlantic right whale are threatened. There is concern that the eastern populations along Europe and North Africa may be functionally extinct. One of the major causes for the species' decline has been whaling. In fact, it is often believed the common name 'right' whale comes from whalers claiming it was the 'right' whale to hunt, since they are docile, usually close to shore, and stay near the surface of the water.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Lamprima aurata (Latreille, 1817) (golden stag beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Series: Yowies Series 3
Year of Release: 1999
Size/Scale: Body length including mandibles 6.0 cm for a scale of 4:1-1.5:1 (the mandibles are a bit exaggerated in this figure which could alter scale a bit)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being from one of the original lines of Cadbury Yowies, assembly is required and the figure is a bit stylized. Still, another unique representative of the Australian fauna thanks to the Yowies!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Coastal and subcoastal eastern and southern Australia
Habitat: Forests
Diet: Larvae feed in the rotting wood of several plants, primarily Eucalyptus but also she-oak (Casuarina), Acacia, Banksia, and introduced plants including willows (Salix), occasionally also in fence posts, telegraph poles, and sawdust piles; adults feed on fruit and sap flows created by nipping young shoots on trees and shrubs.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Lamprima aurata is very popular with collectors due to its bright metallic colors; luckily, it does not appear to be threatened by collecting and remains common throughout its range.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Mimetica species (bush cricket; leaf-mimic katydid)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Play Visions
Series: Exotic Insects
Year of Release: 1998
Size/Scale: Body length 6.0 cm. Scale species-dependent (I have had trouble researching this genus, but this figure is probably close to 1:1).
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was, and still is, a challenge to get a precise identification on. It was marketed as 'bush cricket', which usually implies a grasshopper in the family Tettigoniidae. I think one of the biggest challenges was that the sculptor/designer made the wings flat and sideways on the body, as if mimicking leaf dorsally, rather than tall and mimicking a leaf laterally. To my knowledge, none of the Mimetica species (nor any of the broad-leaf mimics) hold their wings like this. If we take this as artistic license, the figure is a good representative of Mimetica, with potential options being M. viridifolia or M. mortuifolia (I favor the latter). In the past I have suggested an identification of Aegimia elongata but I am dismissing that ID now. Given the figure represents a member of Tettigoniidae, it should have much longer antennae, although it was probably too challenging to do wo safely without risk of breakage.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central and South America
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Plants, primarily leaves
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A (species dependent)
Miscellaneous Notes: As the Latin name suggests, Mimetica species are mimics of leaves, some even displaying shapes and colors suggesting disease or damage to the leaf, such as signs of caterpillar feeding. This mimicry allows them to avoid predation by birds, reptiles, and other animals.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Cephalorhynchus hectori hectori Van Beneden, 1881 (Hector's dolphin)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Stewart Sales & Services
Series: NZ Wildlife Figures Pack
Year of Release: 2018
Size/Scale: Figure 7.0 cm long. Measured along spine, body length 8.0 cm for a scale of 1:17-1:22.8
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The only other two figures of this species I am aware of are Cadbury Yowies; this SSS figure is the best of the three. This is a small figure, more in like with something from Play Visions or a Safari TOOB figure (but then again, it is a small species).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Coastal South Island, New Zealand
Habitat: Pelagic, at depths of 0-100 meters (usually 0-50 meters)
Diet: Fish, squid
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Cephalorhynchus hectori is the only species of dolphin endemic to New Zealand and the World's smallest known dolphin species. The species prefers waters with high turbidity; as such, it uses much simpler echolocation techniques and can only detect prey at half the distance of many other dolphin species. The second subspecies, the Māui dolphin (H. h. maui), is endemic to the west coast of the North Island.

[callmejoe3]

Species: Cephalorhynchus hectori hectori Van Beneden, 1881 (Hector's dolphin)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Stewart Sales Services
Series: NZ Wildlife Figures Pack
Year of Release: 2018
Size/Scale: Figure 7.0 cm long. Measured along spine, body length 8.0 cm for a scale of 1:15-1:20
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The only other two figures of this species I am aware of are Cadbury Yowies; this SSS figure is the best of the three. This is a small figure, more in like with something from Play Visions or a Safari TOOB figure (but then again, it is a small species).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Coastal South Island, New Zealand
Habitat: Pelagic, at depths of 0-100 meters (usually 0-50 meters)
Diet: Fish, squid
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Cephalorhynchus hectori is the only species of dolphin endemic to New Zealand and the World's smallest known dolphin species. The species prefers waters with high turbidity; as such, it uses much simpler echolocation techniques and can only detect prey at half the distance of many other dolphin species. The second subspecies, the Māui dolphin (H. h. maui), is endemic to the west coast of the North Island.

I should consider getting this.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Cephalorhynchus hectori hectori Van Beneden, 1881 (Hector's dolphin)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Stewart Sales Services
Series: NZ Wildlife Figures Pack
Year of Release: 2018
Size/Scale: Figure 7.0 cm long. Measured along spine, body length 8.0 cm for a scale of 1:15-1:20
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The only other two figures of this species I am aware of are Cadbury Yowies; this SSS figure is the best of the three. This is a small figure, more in like with something from Play Visions or a Safari TOOB figure (but then again, it is a small species).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Coastal South Island, New Zealand
Habitat: Pelagic, at depths of 0-100 meters (usually 0-50 meters)
Diet: Fish, squid
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Cephalorhynchus hectori is the only species of dolphin endemic to New Zealand and the World's smallest known dolphin species. The species prefers waters with high turbidity; as such, it uses much simpler echolocation techniques and can only detect prey at half the distance of many other dolphin species. The second subspecies, the Māui dolphin (H. h. maui), is endemic to the west coast of the North Island.

I should consider getting this.

I thought you'd like it ;-)

[callmejoe3]

It's nice to see some representation for the Lissodelphininae subfamily as opposed to Delphininae and Globicephalinae subfamilies.

[Isidro]

I always eluded this figure just because it seems tiny to me. It's smaller than my Safari LTD vaquita and CBIOV finless porpoise. But reading that it can fit into scale 1:15-1:20 can change my mind. I didn't knew that i'ts the smallest delphinid (I tought the closely related Commerson's was the one). Maybe I should try to get it.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Lamprima adolphinae (Gestro, 1875) (green stag beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King, standard series, small
Year of Release: Unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 5.0 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The Sega 'small standard series' were 10 sets of 10 figures each, for a total of 100 figures representing roughly 75 species of Lucanidae and dynastine Scarabaeidae. The dates of release are currently unknown to me (c. 2008). The figures were produced in conjunction with Bandai and came with Pokemon-style playing cards. At the time of this writing, I think I have all but two of the species. For a review of the sets, please see here.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: New Guinea
Habitat: Montane rainforests
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting wood of several plants infested with fungi (white rot); adults adults feed on fruit and sap flows.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: As with the recently-reviewed L. aurata, this species is very popular with collectors and breeders. Also like L. aurata, it appears to have a thriving population in nature and does not seem to be negatively affected by collecting.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Hebomoia glaucippe (Linnaeus, 1758) (great orange-tip)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: US Toy
Series: Butterfly Collection
Year of Release: unknown
Size/Scale: Wingspan 8.2 cm, within scale 1:1 for a small specimen (wingspan 8.0-10.0 cm)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was part of a set I bought at a dollar store years ago, but I have seen them marketed by US Toy. There are a handful of figures of H. glaucippe out there, and they are probably all influenced by the version in the Butterflies to Go collection by Club Earth (which remains the best in my opinion). Today's US Toy figure is probably the least realistic of them, having an incorrect wing shape and a very simplified paint job; however, the color was clearly influenced by the Club Earth figure (or one of its successors) when viewed side-by-side.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East and Southeast Asia, southern Japan
Habitat: Highly variable, including rainforests, fields, grasslands, arid scrubland, disturbed areas.
Diet: Larval host plants include capers (Capparis, Crateva) and spider plants (Cleome); adults feed on nectar, with a preference for Lantana.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Hemomoia glaucippe exhibits sexual dimorphism. Females have more dark markings on the hindwings and darker regions at the tips of the forewings. Most of the figures to date appear to be based on a female of the Taiwanese subspecies, H. g. formosana (but I am not familiar with all the options).

[Isidro]

I find strange that in a species where the male is much more beautiful and the female is much less important in culture (collecting specimens, photographing, etc), most of the figures are based on female. It would be like af is most peafowl figurines were females. I'm so used to the familiar image of the male that I didn't even remembered that the species have sexual dimorphism, and had to check images in google for find that the figurine can match with the species.

P. D. I've seen Hebomoia glaucippe formosana in the wild but it flied without stopping, photograph was impossible.

[bmathison1972]

I find strange that in a species where the male is much more beautiful and the female is much less important in culture (collecting specimens, photographing, etc), most of the figures are based on female. It would be like af is most peafowl figurines were females. I'm so used to the familiar image of the male that I didn't even remembered that the species have sexual dimorphism, and had to check images in google for find that the figurine can match with the species.

P. D. I've seen Hebomoia glaucippe formosana in the wild but it flied without stopping, photograph was impossible.

Yes, this figure is not a very good likeness, but was clearly painted after the Club Earth figure, which is not only a much better likeness, but is also specifically stamped 'great orangetip' (the Club Earth figures have the English name stamped on the underside).

The CE figure was highlighted here: http://animaltoyforum.com/blog/2020/11/24/butterflies-to-go-club-earth/

[bmathison1972]

Species: Rhamdiopsis krugi Brockmann et Castro, 2010

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Cave Dwellers TOOB
Year of Release: 2014
Size/Scale: Figure 8.0 cm long. Measured along midline 8.4 cm for a scale of 4.1:1-2.3:1.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Safari Ltd. only marketed this figure as 'catfish'. It could probably represent any one of several species, but after discussions with forum member sbell, we felt R. krugi was the best option.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Poço Encantado, Lapa do Bode, and Natal Caves in Bahia, Brazil
Habitat: Lentic waters formed by the water table inside the caves, at depths of 0-35 meters (usually 0-10 meters)
Diet: Invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like many other troglogytic species, R. krugi has lost its eyes and is blind.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Brachypelma smithi (Cambridge, 1897) (Mexican red-kneed tarantula)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Blip Toys
Series: Nature's Wonders HD
Year of Release: 2008
Size/Scale: Maximum legspan 13.0 cm. Body length 4.5 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: Brachypelma smithi is probably the most common species of spider in toy form identifiable at the species level (if not tied with or second to the southern black widow, Latrodectus mactans). Blip Toys figures (at least their insects and spiders) are very well done. I don't know much about them; I bought mine at a Target in Atlanta in 2009-2010 or so. The figures came with a code, that when entered in the Blip Toys website would give the user biological information on the species. The eye number and arrangement on this tarantula is not correct, a common mistake made by most companies. This figure is also a bit delicate; notice one spinnerete and the terminal segments on two legs have broken off.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southside of the Balsas River Basin in Guerrero, Mexico
Habitat: Tropical deciduous forests, thornscrub, semi-deserts
Diet: Primarily insects and other arthropods, occasionally small reptiles, amphibians, birds, rodents.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: 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 et Verdez, 1997. The two species are indistinguishable morphologically and can only be separated by DNA barcoding and strict geographic distribution. In the absence of a figure being specifically ascribed to a given species, I am referring to all figures as the classic B. smithi. Both species are very common in the pet trade.