Mathison Museum of Natural History

[bmathison1972]

Species: Morpho cypris (Westwood, 1851) (Cypris morpho)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Club Earth
Series: Butterflies to Go
Year of Release: unknown
Size/Scale: Wingspan 7.1 cm, for a scale of 1:2 for a large specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The Club Earth butterflies are marked with the common name on the underside of the wings. This figure was simply marketed as a morpho; the species-level identification is mine based on the wing color (although a member of the M. rhetenor-complex is also a viable option). The figure on the left is by Club Earth; the one of the right is from a set by an unknown manufacturer. This set of 'unknown' butterflies consists of 12 species that are nearly identical to those produced by Club Earth. The only real difference is that they lack the common names printed on the underside of the figures. Otherwise, the quality of plastic and paint applications are nearly just as good as the CE figures. It is possible Club Earth was commissioned to make these for another distributor, or Club Earth and another company bought the rights to the same sculpts (or, these figures are just blatant knockoffs of the CE figures, who knows?). Like most nymphalid figures, these two both have an extra pair of functional legs (the first pair should be reduced to small sensory organs). Kabaya also made this species in the first set of their World Insect Series.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central and South America
Habitat: Rainforests, often in riparian areas and high in the canopy
Diet: Larvae feed on the legume, Inga marginata; adults feed on juices from overripe fruit and sap flows.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other butterflies, males of M. cypris are territorial and aggressive, and will chase away other butterflies that wander into their territory. Collecters have learned to take advantage of this behavior. Toss a rock in the air and the the butterfly will chase the rock as it falls to the ground; the specimen can be nabbed with a net as it gets within reach! On an insect-collecting trip in Arizona years ago, a friend (who is a lepidopterist) demonstrated this technique for me!

[Isidro]

I'm absolutely amazed by this method of capturing territorial butterflies! 0_0 0_0

[Halichoeres]

Yessss, the Permian. Nice to see an animal from that time that isn't Dimetrodon.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Megasoma actaeon (Linnaeus, 1758) (Actaeon beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: F-toys
Series: Insect Hunter Beetle and Stag Beetle
Year of Release: 2018
Size/Scale: Length (including horn) 6.3 cm for a scale of about 1:2 for a large specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: The Insect Hunter figures by F-toys are among the most realistic for the taxa they represent. Some of the figures have some degree of articulation, but this one does not. Megasoma actaeon isn't as commonly made as its relative M. elephas, but I have a handful of figures. Most of them were produced by Sega.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: South America
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting logs; adults are attracted to overripe fruit and sap flows
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Large scarab beetles whose larvae develop in rotting wood often have long developmental cycles. The total develop time for M. actaeon from oviposition to emergence of the adult is about 2.8 years.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Laticauda semifasciata (Reinwardt, 1837) (black-banded sea krait)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Chocoegg Animatales Series 4
Year of Release: 2000
Size/Scale: Figure height 5.0 cm. Measured along spine, total body length 12.5 cm for a scale of 1:7.4-1:10.4
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being part of one of the original Chocoegg series, some assembly is required. The figure is removable from its base, but it leaves a small peg under the body.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Western Pacific Ocean, including waters around Japan, China, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, and the Korean Peninsula
Habitat: Coastal waters, including coral reefs and marine caves, returning to land for oviposition
Diet: Marine fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Laticauda semifasciata appears to be expending its range, moving farther north to the Korean Peninsula as waters warm due to climate change. Like most sea snakes and sea kraits, L. semifasciata is very venomous, but it is not very aggressive.

[Loon]

Wow, I had no idea there were sea snake figures. Though, outside of the occasional cobra, rattlesnake, or large boa, snakes seem pretty poorly represented in the market. Makes me think I should really start looking at these japanese capsule figures more.

[bmathison1972]

Yes @Loon - there are several species, including figures by Play Visions, Yowie Group, Kaiyodo, Club Earth, Cadbury (the original Yowies), and K&M; Safari even had on in their Venomous Creatures TOOB.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Morpho peleides Kollar, 1850 (common morpho)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bullyland
Series: Butterflies on Strings
Year of Release: 1998
Size/Scale: Wingspan 7.0 cm, for a scale of approximately 1:2-1:3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: The 'Butterflies on Strings' collections were two sets of butterflies released by Bullyland. The figures had a loop of chord attached to the top of the thorax via a screw (hence the unsightly hole), so they can hang from things. The set was also sold as 'swingers', figures suspended on a wire attached to a base. This sculpt, while not accurate for M. peleides, was used for four of the eight figures in the set.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Mexico to northern South America
Habitat: Rainforests, usually along trails, paths, forest edges, and other open areas
Diet: Larvae feed on plants in the families Fabaceae (legumes) and Bignoniaceae (bignonias); adults drink juices from overripe fruit and tree sap.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: The taxonomy of the genus Morpho can be challenging, and M. peleides is sometimes considered a subspecies of M. helenor. This species is a popular attraction in butterfly houses in US zoos and botanical gardens.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Erimacrus isenbeckii (Brandt, 1848) (horsehair crab)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kitan Club
Series: Nature Techni Colour - Nature of Japan Vol. 3
Year of Release: 2015
Size/Scale: Maximum figure width 6.5 cm. Carapace length 2.4 cm for a scale of 1:4-1:5.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is one of two figures of this species I am aware of (and the best of the two). The other is by Kaiyodo from a set featuring commercial 'food' animals (see below).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northern Pacific Ocean, from Korea, Japan, and the Kamchatka peninsula in Asia to the Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska in America
Habitat: Benthic, usually depths of 30-300 meters on sandy and silty bottoms
Diet: Scavenger and predator on other invertebrates; cannibalism common in the spring.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Erimacrus isenbeckii is one of the most economically important crab species in Japanese cuisine.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Euhadra peliomphala (Pfeiffer, 1850)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kitan Club
Series: Nature Techni Colour - Nature of Japan Vol. 3
Year of Release: 2015
Size/Scale: Figure length 5.0 cm. Shell diameter 3.0 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: No assembly required. The shell is hard, but the body is a softer rubber (soft, but firm). When first released, this figure was unique. However, in 2016, Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. released a set of terrestrial mollusks that includes five figures of E. peliomphala in slightly different colors and sizes.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan
Habitat: Arboreal
Diet: Soft vegetation for nutrition; soft stone (such as limestone) for shell development
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like most, of not all, land snails, E. peliomphala must ingest calcium for shell construction. In nature, this is usually done by eating soft stone, such as limestone. In disturbed areas, such as around homes and in gardens, land snails may consume manmade concrete blocks to acquire calcium.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Pteranodon longiceps Marsh, 1876

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Prehistoric World
Year of Release: 2019
Size/Scale: Total figure length 11.5 cm. Scale difficult to calculate based on wingspan. The head crest measured from the back of the orbital socket is 5.0 cm, for a scale of 1:15 based on the Yale Peabody Museum specimens YPM 2493 and YPM 2494. Depending on the specimen referenced, this figure could probably scale anywhere from 1:15-1:20.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: I much prefer pterosaurs in their resting pose, such as this. I haven't bought the Safari Ltd. Quetzalcoatlus yet, as I am hoping the re-do it in a non-flying pose. As good as today's Pteranodon figure is, it looks like the 2021 offering by CollectA might be also be very good!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Cretaceous (Coniacian-Campanian) of present-day North America
Habitat: Coastal areas along the Western Interior Seaway; pelagic
Diet: Fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: The purpose of the head crest on pterosaurs is still not completely known, but given that they are more pronounced in mature specimens and are different among the species, they were probably used for species recognition and sexual display. They may also have been used as a rudder (for navigation) or to counterbalance the large beak.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Melithaea japonica (Verrill, 1865) (red fan coral)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Ikimon
Series: Nature Techni Colour - Seaside Creatures 1
Year of Release: 2018
Size/Scale: Figure 8.0 cm between its longest points. Scale difficult to calculate, as fan corals are measured by individual structures rather than colony size, but from what I can tell this figure is within the scale of 1:1 for many specimens.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was marketed as M. flabellifera, which was synonymized with M. japonica in 2015. The sculpt is unique, but the figure was re-released in the second version of Seaside Creatures in 2019 (albeit orange rather than red in color). The figure was also sold as a key chain, and the hole to support the chain is visible on the upper left side.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan
Habitat: Shallow, rocky reefs
Diet: Predaceous on zooplankton that drift within reach
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Unlike many other corals, Melithaea species do not have symbiotic zooxanthellae dinoflagellates in their tissues; they derive their nutrition by predation of planktonic organisms.

[Isidro]

Scale difficult to calculate, as fan corals are measured by individual structures rather than colony size, but from what I can tell this figure is within the scale of 1:1 for many specimens.

I think diameter of terminal branches is a reliable method for calculate scale in coral figurines

[bmathison1972]

Species: Cheirotonus peracanus Kriesche, 1919

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: 4D Master
Series: Bug & Creature World
Year of Release: unknown
Size/Scale: Total figure length (including appendages) 11.0 cm. Body length 5.5 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being a 4D Master puzzle, substantial assemble is required. This particular model comes in 19 pieces, but the final product fits together snuggly.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Peninsular Malaysia, especially in the Cameron Highlands and surrounding mountains
Habitat: Broadleaf forests
Diet: Larvae feed on rotting wood in treeholes; adults feed on sap flows. The host tree for C. peracanus is apparently unknown.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Cheirotonus species exhibit extreme sexual dimorphism, with males possessing exaggerated front legs (as shown in today's figure). The purpose of the elongated legs is probably analogous to the horns on dynastine scarabs or enlarged mandibles on lucanid scarabs, to fight rival males and secure breeding sites.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Zerene eurydice (Boisduval, 1855) (California dogface)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Toy Major
Series: Butterflies
Year of Release: 1996
Size/Scale: Wingspan 6.7 cm, slightly larger than 1:1 (average wingspan 5.1-6.3 cm)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The Toy Major butterflies are somewhat of an enigma. There are 12 sculpts, labeled A-L on the underside as well as the copyright year of 1996. Each sculpt has been painted multiple times, resulting in anywhere from 24-36 figures (maybe more?). Also, the different repaints may have been released over multiple years while retaining the 1996 mark. They were sold in sets of various numbers. They are not marketed at the species level, but most are painted to look like recognizable species. Several species produced by Toy Major have been produced by other companies of the same era (Club Earth, early Safari Ltd., etc.), and as these companies tend to copy one another, it is sometimes difficult to determine what came first.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: California and northern Mexico
Habitat: California chaparral and woodlands
Diet: Larvae feed on Amorpha californica (California false indigo); adults take nectar from flowers, especially Cirsium (thistle).
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated (NatureServe status: Apparently Secure)
Miscellaneous Notes: Zerene eurydice is endemic to the chaparral and woodlands in central and southern California and Baja California, Mexico, especially in riparian areas. The common name 'dogface' comes from the pattern of the forewings in the males (Z. eurydice is sexually dimorphic), which is said to look like the face of a dog. The related southern dogface (Z. cesonia) lacks purple on the forewings.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Locusta migratoria (Linnaeus, 1758) (migratory locust)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Natural Monuments
Year of Release: 2002
Size/Scale: Body length (including wings) 5.4 cm, with scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure came from a limited series called Natural Monuments, not to be confused with the Natural Monuments of Japan collection. It is similar to, but not a copy of, the original Chocoegg figure (however, like the Chocoegg figure, assembly is required). Also, unlike most migratory locust figures, this one is actually painted as the migratory/gregarious phase!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Much of the Old World, including much of Africa (outside of the Sahara Desert), Europe, much of Asia, Japan, northern Australia, New Zealand
Habitat: Highly variable, including lowland forests, river deltas, grasslands, deserts, disturbed areas, and agricultural fields, often in open areas
Diet: Grasses
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Locusta migratoria transitions between the solitary and gregarious phases based on population density. As the population gets larger, it slowly transitions from the solitary phase to the gregarious phase (with intermediate phases as well). The solitary phases tend to be brown and green while the gregarious phase is yellow-brown without green.

[Advicot]

I'm really considering this figure for my wishlist.

Great information, thanks 

[sphyrna18]

Excellent update!  I love that Locusta migratoria figure and can't figure out why more companies don't release the gregarious form!  It could even stand to be more brightly yellow than Kaiyodo made it!  Great post though (as are all of the posts in this thread!)

[Advicot]

They really are all fabulous posts! And so enjoyable to read 

[bmathison1972]

Thanks guys! Next up:

Species: †Lutra lutra whiteleyi Gray, 1867 (Japanese river otter)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Capsule Q Museum - Shikoku
Year of Release: 2013
Size/Scale: Figure height 6.3 cm. Body length (excluding tail) 6.0 cm, for a scale of 1:9.5-1:15.8
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare (as subspecies)
Miscellaneous Notes: Minimal assembly is required. I also have the 2018 Papo Eurasian river otter to represent the mainland/nominate subspecies (although I haven't entirely ruled-out substituting it for the 2021 CollectA figure; will have to wait to see collectors' pics online).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan
Habitat: Lakes, rivers, ponds, streams, canals
Diet: Fish, freshwater crustaceans, insects, plant material
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Extinct
Miscellaneous Notes: Sometimes classified as a separate species (L. nippon), the Japanese river otter was formally declared extinct in 2012. Its extinction is believed to have been caused by overhunting for their pelts and contamination of freshwater environments.