Mathison Museum of Natural History

[bmathison1972]

Species: Rhacophorus reinwardtii (Schlegel, 1840)
Common name(s): green flying frog; Reinwardt's flying frog; black-webbed tree frog

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Colorata
Series: Tropical Rain Forest Frogs
Year of Production: 2019 (2005)
Size/Scale: Legspan nearly 12.0 cm. Snout-to-vent length 4.7 cm for a scale of 1:1.2-1:1.7 for a female (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: My figure is the 2019 release of a model that originally came out in 2005. The frog is removable from its base. I calculated the scale based on a female because of the color; males tend to be more colorful, especially along the lateral margins. This figure would scale 1:1 for a male, however.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia, including Indonesia (Java, Sumatra), Borneo (Sabah, Sarawak), Peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand
Habitat: Primary tropical and subtropical lowland rainforest; canopy-dwelling, descending to the forest floor only to breed in semi-permanent pools
Diet: Insects and arachnids
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Rhacophorus reinwardtii and related species are known for their ability to 'fly' (glide, actually) from tree to tree with the use of extensive webbing between their toes.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Lepocinclis acus (Müller) Marin & Melkonian 2003

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Epoch
Series: Ecology of Plankton
Year of Production: 2004
Size/Scale: Length (excluding flagellum) 2.7 cm for a scale of 415:1-90:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was marketed as Euglena acus; however since the nomenclatural change was only about a year before production, the manufacturers were probably unaware of the change. Morphologically, the figure does look more like a true Euglena, however. The figures in the Ecology of Plankton collection come in little jars suspended in a goo (see inset, minus the goo), as if to simulate biological specimens in a lab. I bought my set from forum member sbell, who had already removed the goo (which I probably would have done as well). The jars measure 3.7 cm tall and are 3.0 cm in diameter.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Cosmopolitan
Habitat: Fresh and brackish water, including rivers, lakes, ditches, ponds, swamps, sinkholes, wetlands, fishponds
Diet: Sugars and other nutrients derived from both photosynthesis and via osmotrophy
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: In the absence of light, L. acus feeds as a heterotroph, taking up proteins, peptone, acetate, ethanol, and carbohydrates via osmotrophy, a process whereby dissolved nutrients are obtained via osmosis. When there is sufficient light to feed by photosynthesis, L. acus uses chloroplasts containing the pigments chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b to produce sugars.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Streptopelia orientalis (Latham, 1790)
Common name(s): Oriental turtle dove; rufous turtle dove

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Choco Q Animatales Series 9
Year of Production: 2004
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 6.0 cm for a scale of 1:5-1:6
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Choco Q Animatales figures, some assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central and East Asia, Japan
Habitat: Open woodlands, copses, taiga; often in areas with dense undergrowth
Diet: Grains, seeds; occasionally terrestrial invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: There two main migratory populations of S. orientalis, the western Oriental turtle dove (S. o. meena), which occurs from East Asia to Central Asia south to the Himalayas and winters in India and Sri Lanka, and the eastern Oriental turtle dove (S. o. orientalis), which occurs from Central Siberia to Japan, wintering in Southeast Asia south to Vietnam. Other more restricted subspecies include S. o. stimpsoni (Ryukyu Islands), S. o. orii (Taiwai), S. o. erythrocephala (southern peninsular India), and S. o. agricola (northeastern India to Myanmar and Hainan, China).

[bmathison1972]

Species: Parabuthus transvaalicus Purcell, 1899
Common name(s): South African fat-tailed scorpion; giant deathstalker

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.
Series: Scorpions
Year of Production: 2012
Size/Scale: Scale difficult to calculate, but measured along midline body length approximately 6.0 cm for a scale of 1:1.5-1:2.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Figures in this set come with a flat, round, amber-colored base (see inset) with the Latin name, Japanese name, and degree of toxicity on a 1-5 scale using skulls-and-crossbones.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southern Africa (Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe)
Habitat: Deserts, scrub-land, and semi-arid regions, usually in burrows or under objects on the ground (logs, rocks); occasionally wanders into houses and other human habitations
Diet: Insects and other terrestrial arthropods
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Parabuthus transvaalicus is a medically important scorpion and should be considered a dangerous species with potential life-threatening venom (kurtoxin). The LD50 value for P. transvaalicus is reported as 4.25 mg/kg and due to its size, it can inject very large amounts of venom. The scorpion can also squirt its venom up to about one meter away, and if sprayed in the eyes of a person or other animal can be extremely dangerous. Symptoms of envenomation include intense pain, hypersalivation, sweating, and subjective neurological complaints. Severe symptoms include neuromuscular involvement with significant parasympatric nervous system and cardiac involvement. The fatality rate is 0.3% in young children and adults above 50. There is a species-specific antivenom which can improve patient outcome.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Hymenopus coronatus (Olivier, 1792)
Common name(s): orchid mantis

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.
Series: Primary Colour Picture Book Mimetic Insects
Year of Production: 2021
Size/Scale: Scale difficult to calculate but body length approximately 6.0 cm, within scale 1:1 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon to rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen H. coronatus in the Museum. Like most figures made of this species, this one represents a subadult female. Some assembly is required. I think all figures in this set were marketed as 1:1, but I can't remember. I also think the set was re-released in 2022.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia, from western India to Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Flying insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Nymphs of H. coronatus mimic flowers to ambush their flying insect prey.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Ardeadoris cruenta (Rudman, 1986)
Common name(s): red spot nudibranch; bloody glossodoris

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kitan Club
Series: Nature Techni Colour - Sea Slugs
Year of Production: 2011
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 3.7 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique (as a sculpt)
Miscellaneous Notes: Figures in this set were sold as both magnets and 'strap' figures.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Pacific
Habitat: Coral reefs
Diet: Sponges
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Ardeadoris cruenta is sometimes placed in the genus Glossodoris but was transfered to Ardeadoris in 2012 based on a molecular phylogenetic analysis.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Aw, this is a superb figure! The only nudibranch I have is the IC Safari figure. I even grabbed a few extra on sale a while back to customize as I thought these weren't common toys...

Checking out ebay for this series there are several I find hardly resistable...

[NSD Bashe]

if you wait around occasionally the whole set becomes available, or one version of them at least, though it's hard to know when

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Thank you for the tip! I will have to keep my eyes peeled for them.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Cambaroides japonicus (De Haan, 1841)
Common name(s): Japanese crayfish; Nihon zarigani

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Natural Monuments of Japan
Year of Production: 2002
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding appendages) approximately 5.0 cm for a scale of 1:1.4
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the third time we've seen C. japonicus in the Museum. The brown figure was part of the main NMoJ collection, while the blue figure, which comes with a base, was a secret/chase figure.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan (Hokkaidō and northern Tōhoku)
Habitat: cool, clean montane streams and lakes
Diet: detritus; primarily leaves and branches that fall into the water
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Data Deficient
Miscellaneous Notes: In nature, the blue morph of C. japonicus is considered rare, although in some sites it can make up 10% of the local population. Different colors in crayfish are the result of various protein conjunctions with the carotenoid astaxanthin. Astaxanthin, commonly found in shrimp, lobsters, and crayfish, usually expresses itself as the color red if unbound to a protein; when joined to a protein, however, it can express a variety of other colors, including blue.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus (Weber, 1991)
Common name(s): vermiculated sailfin catfish

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Choco Q Animatales Series 10
Year of Production: 2005
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 7.0 cm for a scale of 1:10
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Choco Q Animatales figures, some assembly is required; the fish is removable from its base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: South America (Madeira River Basin in Bolivia and Brazil); introduced to India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, USA (Florida), Puerto Rico, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Turkey
Habitat: Floodplain lakes, swamps, burrow pits, streams, rivers, canals
Diet: Algae, detritus
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus is classified as a facultative air-breather. Its specialized stomach can be used as an accessory respiratory organ allowing to rely on breathing atmospheric oxygen for long periods of time.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Vespa mandarinia Smith, 1852
Common name(s): Asian giant hornet

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Revogeo
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 14.5 cm for a scale of 4:1-3.6:1 for a worker
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the third time we have seen V. mandarinia in the Museum. Today's model is large and articulated. It comes with two sets of wings, one for displaying the insect in a resting pose and one for displaying it in-flight (as shown here); otherwise, there is no additional assembly required. Each pose option (rested or in-flight) also comes with its own acrylic rod for display on a base.

BTW, I am happy spring is here and I can photograph large arthropod figures outside again .

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East and Southeast Asia, Japan; recently introduced to the Pacific Northwest of North America, but it is unknown if populations are established
Habitat: Forests, woodlands
Diet: Larvae are feed insects provided by adults; adults are predaceous on insects, but will also eat tree sap, overripe fruit, and Vespa amino acid mixture produced by the larvae.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Vespa mandarinia is the only eusocial wasp species to attack beehives and other eusocial wasp nests. Colonies of bees and sympatric hornet species are targeted by V. mandarinia for group attacks. Honey bees, however, have a defensive strategy! When a hornet scout locates and approaches a honey bee hive, she emits specific pheromonal hunting signals. When the honey bees detect these pheromones, large numbers of bees gather near the entrance of the nest and set up a trap, while keeping the entrance open. This allows  the hornet to enter the hive. As the hornet enters, a mob of hundreds of bees surrounds it in a ball, completely covering it and preventing it from reacting effectively. The bees violently vibrate their flight muscles, raising the temperature and carbon dioxide levels to lethal levels for the hornet.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Dynastes hercules (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): Hercules beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: DeAgostini
Series: World Insect Data Book
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (including pronotal horn) approximately 13.7 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is our eleventh time seeing D. hercules in the Museum. The DeAgostini insects are cast from actual specimens and are therefore all in the 1:1 range. The figures were sold as premiums with books and come in a plastic display box with their Latin and Japanese names. I am not sure what year the figures were released, and it is possible they were released over multiple years. The original set from Japan consisted of 60 species (59 male Scarabaeoidea and one dragonfly), plus four 'secret' figures representing females of select scarab males. Today's D. hercules is one of the species with a corresponding female, I just haven't acquired it yet. When the set was released in Italy, three of the standard set were replaced with other species, including a leaf insect. Between the two releases and secrets, I think there are 67 figures total representing 63 species. The figures are secured to the base of the box with a small screw, but can be safely removed if one choses to display them outside of the box.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central and South America, Caribbean
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting wood; adults are attracted to fresh and overripe fruit
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: With a maximum length of approximately 18.8 cm (including the pronotal horn), D. hercules is the longest extant beetle!

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Arizonasaurus babbitti Welles, 1947

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bullyland
Series: Prehistoric Museum Line
Year of Production: 2007
Size/Scale: Total body length approximately 24 cm for a scale of 1:12.5. Using the dentary as a metric (n=~2.0 cm), scale also comes to approximately 12.5. Using the entire skull as a metric (n=~3.0 cm), the scale comes to approximately 1:10, although sometimes using the skull as a metric can be difficult depending on how much the figure is fleshed out (see below).
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was modeled after a display in, and was probably originally produced for, the Museum am Löwentor in Stuttgart, Germany. The scale above for the entire body length is based on an estimated 3.0 meter-long specimen. The scales above based on the dentary and skull are based on metrics in Nesbitt's 2003 rediscription of A. babbitti.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Middle Triassic (Anisian) of present-day southwestern North America
Habitat: Arid and semi-arid floodplains, tidal flats, riparian areas, and surrounding uplands
Diet: Presumably predaceous on smaller animals
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: The purpose of the hump/sail on A. babbitti is not known, but theories for other animals with similar structures can be applied, including thermoregulation, sexual selection, or fat storage.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Allotopus rosenbergi (Snellen van Vollenvoven in Parry, 1872)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bandai Spirits
Series: Insects in the World - Desktop Model
Year of Production: 2021
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) approximately 8.0 cm, within scale 1:1 for a large specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the sixth time we've seen A. rosenbergi in the Museum. Bandai Spirits insects are usually sculpted 1:1, albeit on the high end of natural ranges of the animal. No assembly is required, but the mandibles are articulated.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae breed in decaying wood; adults presumably feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: I had trouble researching information on this species. Allotopus rosenbergi is popular with collectors (and Japanese toy insect manufacturers) but not as common in terraria with breeders as larvae require wood infected with particular fungi.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Pseudanthias tuka (Herre & Montalban, 1927)
Common name(s): yellowstriped fairy basslet; purple queen; purple anthias

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Play Visions
Series: Tropical Fish
Year of Production: 1996
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 6.0 cm for a scale of 1:2
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure is only stamped 'wrasse' and the identification is my own. Pseudanthias tuka (family Serranidae) isn't related to typical wrasses (family Labridae). Confusion may have come from the common name 'queen purple wrasse' which is sometimes used for this species. Pseudanthias tuka is sexually dimorphic and this figure appears to have been painted to represent a female.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-West Pacific
Habitat: Coral reefs, at depths of 2-40 meters (usually 10-35 meters)
Diet: Planktonic crustaceans, fish eggs
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Pseudanthias tuka is a schooling species, often forming large aggregations along the upper edges of drop-offs and steep outer reef slopes. It is also a popular fish in aquaria.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Bathynomus giganteus Milne-Edwards, 1879
Common name(s): giant deep-sea isopod

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Aquarium Figure Collection - Deep Sea Creatures 2
Year of Production: 2017
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 3.7 cm for a scale of 1:5-1:13.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the sixth time we have seen B. giganteus in the Museum. Today's figure is essentially a re-issue of the sculpt Kaiyodo used for the Deep Sea Life collection in 2014; the latter figure was showcased in the Museum back on May 24, 2021. The two figures have different bases, and like the other, today's isopod is removable from its base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Atlantic Ocean, from the southeastern USA to northern Brazil
Habitat: Bathydemersal, at depths of 310-2140 meters (usually 365-730 meters)
Diet: Primarily a scavenger on dead animals on the sea floor
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Fossils of Bathynomus date back to the Early Oligocene (Rupelian) of present-day Europe (Italy).

[Isidro]

I think this is the smallest realistic model of giant isopod available, but now I see the size and scale you mention, I realize that I would wish a bit smaller, as I imagined a 3,7 cm isopod alongside my Kaiyodo Japanese spider crab and Alaskan king crab, an it results a bit overgrown for my taste. A 3 cm one would have been ideal.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Lumbricus sp.
Common name(s): earthworm; nightcrawler

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bullyland
Series: Bullyland Snakes
Year of Production: unknown (c. 2000)
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 13.5 cm, within scale 1:1 for some species.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare [earthworms, generally]
Miscellaneous Notes: Earthworms are rarely made, and when they are it is usually for the purpose of novelty toys. Few major companies have tackled them. In addition to this figure, I also have a life cycle by Safari Lts. and two figure of Metaphire communissima by Kaiyodo.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Worldwide [individual species more restricted]
Habitat: Leaf litter, soil, compost
Diet: Decaying organic material
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [species-dependent]
Miscellaneous Notes: Earthworms are hermaphroditic, and two worms fertilize each other. Copulation and reproduction are several processes, however, and an individual earthworm regulates the mixing of sperm and egg and can become the genetic mother of some of its offspring and genetic father of others. Some earthworms are parthenogenetic, meaning adults can produce viable eggs without reproduction.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Dorcus hopei binodulosus Waterhouse, 1874

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: F-toys
Series: Insect Hunter Beetle and Stag Beetle
Years of Production: 2011, 2016
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) for both figures approximately 6.5 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the sixth time we've seen D. h. binodulosus in the Museum; it is one of the most commonly produced beetle species by Japanese manufacturers. The figure on the right is from the 2011 Insect Hunter set, while the figure on the left is from the 2016 Insect Hunter set. The species was also produced for the 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 sets (possibly more since then, I've lost track). Assembly is not required, but there are multiple articulations.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan, Korean Peninsula
Habitat: Broadleaf forests
Diet: Larvae breed in rotting wood; adults feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like many large scarabaeoid beetles, D. hopei has marked sexual dimorphism. Females are much smaller than males, sometimes nearly by half, and have smaller mandibles.