Mathison Museum of Natural History

[bmathison1972]

Species: Hyperolius marmoratus Rapp, 1842
Common name(s): marbled reed frog; painted reed frog

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Colorata
Series: Tropical Rain Frogs
Year of Production: 2019 (2005)
Size/Scale: Snout-to-vent length approximately 3.0 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique (as a sculpt, see below)
Miscellaneous Notes: My figure is the 2019 release of a model that originally came out in 2005.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Africa, from southern Tanzania to South Africa
Habitat: Open woodlands, savanna, shrubland, grasslands, rivers, permanent and intermittent freshwater lakes and pools, pastureland, rural and suburban gardens
Diet: Terrestrial invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Hyperolius marmoratus exhibits extensive variation in color, which has led to much systematic and nomenclatural uncertainties. The species also shows developmental changes in patterning, with two defined phases: J (juveniles and many mature males) and F (mature females and some mature males). All newly-metamorphosed individuals are phase J, which is normally brownish to green with paired light dorsolateral lines, or an hourglass pattern. All females, and some males, develop into phase F before the first breeding season. Phase F is often colorful and variable, showing the diagnostic color characteristics for the species (or its subspecies). Either well-defined morphs may be present, or graded variation between the two.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): western honey bee; European honey bee

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Papo
Series: Wild Animals/Garden Animals
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Body length (exclusive of appendages) approximately 3.5 cm for a scale of 3:1-2:1 for a worker bee
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the fifth time we've seen A. mellifera in the Museum. In 2023, Papo moved several figures from their Wild Animals line to a new Garden Animals line, including today's honey bee.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Nearly worldwide. Believed native to Africa and/or Central Asia, with natural spread throughout Africa and Europe; introduced to the Western Hemisphere, Australia, New Zealand, and East Asia for honey production.
Habitat: Highly varied; anywhere with suitable hive-building sites and flowers for food source.
Diet: Larvae are fed pollen by the adults; adults eat nectar and pollen
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Data Deficient
Miscellaneous Notes: While not native to North America, A. mellifera is a familiar and popular species. It is the state insect of 17 U.S. states: Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Rostratula benghalensis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): greater painted-snipe; goudsnip

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Choco Q Animatales Series 9
Year of Production: 2004
Size/Scale: Scale difficult to calculate because of the birds' posture, but body length approximately 5.3 cm for a scale of 1:4.3-1:5.3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique (as a pair)
Miscellaneous Notes: Being original Choco Q figures, some assembly is required. These two figures represent the same sculpt, just painted differently as a male (left) and female (right).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Sub-Saharan Africa (exclusive of rainforest and extreme desert), Central and Southeast Asia, Japan
Habitat: Well-vegetated lakes, rivers, marshes, swamps, mudflats
Diet: Insects, freshwater crustaceans, seeds
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Rostratula benghalensis is polyandrous and a female will mate with on average two males a season. Unlike most birds, the female of R. benghalensis is the more colorful of the pair; this is because it is the male that incubates the eggs and therefore must blend in with the surrounding habitat.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Dryopithecus fontani Lartet, 1856

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bullyland
Series: Evolution of Men
Year of Production: 1999
Size/Scale: Figure stands 6.5 cm tall. Using the humerus as a metric (n=2.0 cm), scale comes to approximately 1:13.3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The figure was sculpted with a rock behind its right foot, probably to aid in stability.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Middle-Late Miocene (Serravallian-Tortonian) of present-day Europe
Habitat: Woodlands, wetlands
Diet: Fruit, honey; possibly leaves when fruit and honey were scarce
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Dryopithecus was a part of an adaptive radiation of great apes in the expanding forests of Europe in the warm climates of the Miocene Climatic Optimum. However, the evolutionary relatedness of Dryopithecus to other primates is a matter of debate. It is often considered an offshoot of the ancestor of what would become the African apes (gorillas, chimpanzees, humans). It has also been considered an offshoot of Ponginae (orangutans) or placed in its own clade (along with Oreopithecus) outside of Ponginae+Homininae.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Bothriolepis sp.

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Dinotales Series 1
Year of Production: 2001
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 7.5 cm for a scale of 1:4-1:22.7 depending on the species
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Dinotales figures, some assembly is required. This sculpt, or a slight variation of it, was also used by Kaiyodo in 2015 for the Capsule Q Museum line; the 2015 version came with a base that included a placard with the animal's Latin and Japanese names.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Middle to Late Devonian, nearly worldwide
Habitat: Freshwater lakes and rivers, possibly brackish or coastal marine; benthic
Diet: Planktonic organisms, algae, detritus
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Bothriolepis had gills, but members of the genus also possessed a pair of sacs that originated from the pharynx. Some researchers have suggested these structures may have been analogous to lungs, allowing the placoderm to breath air as well and possibly venture onto land at times.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Echinopora mammiformis (Nemezo, 1959)
Common name(s): hedgehog coral

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Corals in Colour
Year of Production: 2005
Size/Scale: Colony diameter approximately 2.5 cm for a scale of 1:200 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The Yujin corals are small and made out of a limestone-calcium carbonate sandstone, rather than the usual PVC. They make great accessories for other marine wildlife. The scale above was calculated based on a maximum diameter of 5 meters for a colony.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-Pacific
Habitat: Swallow coral reefs, especially in lagoons and back reef margins
Diet: Nutrients derived from symbiotic zooxanthellae; also planktonic microorganisms via filter feeding
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Echinopora mammiformis can grow as either plates (as shown in today's figure) or branches. Plates and branches commonly occur in adjacent colonies or within the same colony.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Spinops sternbergorum Farke et al., 2011

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: PNSO
Series: Prehistoric Animal Models
Year of Production: 2019
Size/Scale: Raw figure length 15.0 cm. Using the base of the frill spikes as a metric (n=0.5 cm), scale comes to approximately 1:20
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: To my knowledge, there are only two figures of this species available, both by PNSO. In 2016, PNSO produced a miniature Spinops.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of present-day North America
Habitat: Open forests, seasonal floodplains
Diet: Vegetation; presumably browser on low-growing plants
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Spinops sternbregorum has an interesting paleontological history. Two partial skulls of the animal were found in 1916 and sent to the British Museum in London. The museum considered the remains too fragmentary for display and wrote back to Charles Sternberg, who found the fossils with his son, saying they were 'nothing but rubbish'. So, the material sat tucked away in the museum, overlooked and unprepared for over 90 years. It wasn't until the fossils were re-examined in the early 2000s that was it realized they represented a new genus of dinosaur, and in 2011 the species was formally described.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Trioceros montium (Buchholz, 1874)
Common name(s): Cameroon sailfin chameleon; Cameroon two-horned mountain chameleon

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Little Wonders
Year of Production: 2017
Size/Scale: Total figure length 11.8 cm. Snout-to-vent length approximately 7.0 cm for a scale of 1:1.2-1:1.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: In 2022, CollectA released a miniature version of this figure in their Reptiles & Amphibians Tube.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Cameroon
Habitat: Montane rainforests; occasionally small farms, rural gardens
Diet: Insects and arachnids
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Trioceros montium is sexually dimorphic and only males possess the two anteriorly-directed horns.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Lucanus elaphus Fabricius, 1775
Common name(s): giant stag beetle; elephant stag beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Safariology - Life Cycle of a Stag Beetle
Year of Production: 2014
Size/Scale: Body length of adult (including mandibles) approximately 7.8 cm for a scale of 1.3:1 for a large major male. Pupa and larva roughly in scale with adult; eggs scale larger.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Safari Ltd. only marketed the beetle in this life cycle set as a 'stag beetle'. The species identification is my own. The overall morphology supports the genus Lucanus, and I am considering it L. elaphus based on the size of the mandibles and that the species occurs in eastern North America, including northern Florida where Safari Ltd. is headquartered. Other North American Lucanus species do not have mandibles this large in relation to the rest of their body.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eastern North America
Habitat: Hardwood forests, parks, cemeteries
Diet: Larvae develop in rotting hardwoods; adults feed on plant juices, tree sap, overripe fruit
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated [NatureServe status Apparently Secure]
Miscellaneous Notes: The life cycle of L. elaphus may take one or more years to complete. Gravid females lay eggs in the crevices of moist, decaying hardwood. Larvae feed on the decaying wood and can take anywhere from one to several years to mature a last-instar larva. Pupation lasts approximately 7-9 months. Adults emerge in May or June and live for 1-3 months, on average.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Locusta migratoria (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): migratory locust

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.
Series: Insect Wars
Year of Production: 2022
Size/Scale: Body length (including wings) approximately 8.0 cm for a scale of 2.2:1-1.5:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the fourth time we've seen L. migratoria in the Museum. This is a repaint of a sculpt used in 2018 and 2020 for the B.I.G. Insects line, the former of which was seen in the Museum on May 6, 2022. Unlike the previous two versions, which were painted after the stationary phase, today's model is painted after the migratory phase. Some assembly is required. I don't normally quantify figures within my collection, but this may be my favorite of the nine figures of this species I have!

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; usually in open areas
Diet: Grasses
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: The most severe swarms of L. migratoria can have upwards of 40-80 million individuals per square kilometer and cover several hundred square kilometers. Swarms can cover up to 130 km a day. Large swarms can be detrimental to agricultural fields.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Oophaga lehmanni (Myers & Daly, 1976)
Common name(s): Lehmann's poison frog; red-banded poison frog

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kitan Club
Series: Nature Techni Colour - Poison Dart Frogs Vol. 1
Year of Production: 2011
Size/Scale: Snout-to-vent length approximately 3.3 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was released as both a magnet and strap figure. The sculpt was used for other species in the set as well as additional species in Poison Dart Frogs Vol. 2 in 2013.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Colombia (Anchicayá Valley)
Habitat: Rainforest; usually on the ground but occasionally in low bushes and trees
Diet: Tadpoles eat unfertilized eggs provided by the female parent; adults feed on small insects and arachnids
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Critically Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: At the end of seasonal rains, males seek out appropriate places for the female to lay eggs, and attract females by a series of calls. Once the female chooses a male, she deposits a few large eggs within the area that the male selected. The male fertilizes the eggs and continues to look after them. He periodically rotates the eggs so they receive enough oxygen. In approximately 2-4 weeks after fertilization, the male carries the eggs on his back via a sticky mucous. Because tadpoles can be cannibalistic, he takes each one to a different site; common sites are water that has collected in bromeliads, hollow trees, and bamboo stalks. Tadpoles are fed unfertilized eggs provided by the female. Tadpoles become adults in approximately 2-3 months.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Pediculus humanus Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): human head-and-body louse

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sbabam
Series: Piccoli Mostri
Year of Production: 2018
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 7.0 cm for a scale of 47:1-35:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen P. humanus in the Museum. This is a rubbery 'bean-bag' style figure. Not something I would normally collect these days, but as a professional clinical parasitologist, I am somewhat of a completist for arthropod ectoparasites. I must thank my friend who let me photograph it on his head LOL.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Cosmopolitan
Habitat: Head lice (P. h. capitis) spend their entire lives living among human hair, especially on the scalp; body lice (P. h. humanus) primarily live off of the host on fomites (bedding, clothing, etc.) and only migrate to the human body to feed.
Diet: Nymphs and adults feed on human blood
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: There are two extant species of Pediculus, P. humanus, which infects humans, and P. schaeffi, which infects chimpanzees. It is believed the two species diverged approximately 5.6 MYA when the ancestor of modern humans and chimps diverged. There is a 'third species' of Pediculus on New World monkeys, P. mjobergi, but it is now believed that species is P. humanus capitis that made a host switch from humans to monkeys after humans migrated across the Bering Strait and settled in the Americas. It is generally believed the split between head lice and body lice occurred when humans started wearing clothing. Some molecular studies place this divergence some time between 83,000 and 170,000 years ago, although it has also been suggested that there was not a single historical divergence but instead an ongoing sequence of interactions between head and body lice.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Bombyx mori (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): domestic silkworm moth

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Shine-G
Series: Larvae Moei
Years of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Larva approximately 6.5 cm long, for a scale of 1.3:1. Pupa approximately 5.7 cm and in relative scale with larva.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the third time we've seen B. mori in the Museum. The pupa is depicted out of it's silken cocoon, perhaps to represent a food item (see below)?

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Species originated in Southeast Asia; now bred throughout the world, especially in Europe, Asia, and Australia
Habitat: Broadleaf forests
Diet: Larvae feed primarily on Morus alba (white mulberry); adults do not feed
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Domesticated
Miscellaneous Notes: Bombyx mori is wholly domesticated, and cannot survive without human care. In addition to being raised for silk, B. mori is an edible insect in some cultures. In particular, pupae are eaten in India (Polu, leta), Korea (beondegi), China (jiang can), Japan (tsukudani), Vietnam (nhộng tằm), and Thailand (nhon mhai).

[bmathison1972]

Species: Esox lucius Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): northern pike

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Replica Toy Fish
Series: 3 Inch Collection
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 8.5 cm for a scale of 1:2.9-1:16.1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Replica Toy Fish produced this species in 3- and 6-inch versions. Esox lucius was also produced by Bullyland in 2002.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Holarctic
Habitat: Freshwater lakes, ponds, reservoirs, montane rivers, sluggish streams; occasionally brackish water
Diet: Juveniles feed on aquatic invertebrates; adults are generalist predators on fish, invertebrates, small water birds. Cannibalism common.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Esox lucius is found in most any freshwater, and sometimes brackish water, habitat throughout its range, as long as adequate food and vegetation is present. The northern pike has a very broad range of tolerances for water temperature, clarity, oxygen content, and in some cases, salinity.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Papilio troilus Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): spicebush swallowtail

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Toys Spirits
Series: Caterpillar Mascot Vol. 2
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Body length 4.8 cm for a scale of 1.1:1 for a maximum-sized mature larva; could easily fit into 1:1 scale
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Figures in Toys Spirits' Caterpillar Mascot sets are somewhat stylized and soft and 'squishy'. They are not something I would normally collect, even at the time I got them, but the set included two unique species, including today's.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eastern North America
Habitat: Deciduous woodlands, pine barrens, wooded swamps, fields, roadsides, parks, gardens
Diet: Larvae feed on a variety of plants, including Lindera (spicebush), Cinnamomum (camphor), Sassafras (sassafras), Litsea (pondspice), Persea (bays), and Magnolia (magnolias); adults take nectar from a wide variey of flowers.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated [NatureServe status is Secure]
Miscellaneous Notes: Papilio troilus lays eggs 1-2 at a time on an appropriate host plant. Young larvae chew through the leaf from the edge to the midrib, about 19 mm from the tip of the leaf. The larva lies on the midrib and produces silk. Upon drying, the silk contracts and causes the leaf to fold up around the larva to form a shelter. The larvae stay in these shelters during the day, coming out at night to feed.

[sbell]

Just saying, the year on the pike is about 2009-2010, based on Dino toy forum 1 conversations!

[bmathison1972]

Just saying, the year on the pike is about 2009-2010, based on Dino toy forum 1 conversations!

Thanks, Sean! I usually don't indicate unless I have a specific year (but sometimes I'll do estimates  )

[bmathison1972]

Species: Geothelphusa dehaani (White, 1847)
Common name(s): Japanese freshwater crab

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Choco Q Animatales Series 9
Year of Production: 2004
Size/Scale: Carapace width approximately 2.0 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen Geothelphusa dehaani in the Museum. These three figures represent the same sculpt. Being original Choco Q Animatales figures, some assembly is required. If I remember correctly, the white version was a secret/chase figure.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan
Habitat: Montane forests, usually in riparian areas including clear streams and surrounding terrestrial habitats (under rocks and logs, in forest litter, etc.)
Diet: General omnivore; primarily terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates and carrion, but occasionally plant material and detritus. Cannibalism not uncommon.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Geothelphusa dehaani exhibits extreme color variation throughout its range, although in a given area only one or a couple color morphs may be present. Researchers have classified the various colors using two-letter codes, including DA (dark), BL (blue), RE (red), TC (two-toned), PB (purple-brown), and GP (green-brown), for example. Some of these colors have subgroups (e.g. BL1, BL2) and some considered 'contaminated' (sharing colors of more than one morph) are designated as DA', BL', etc. The color variation in G. dehanni is due to intraspecific genetic differentiation and is believed to be due to genetic isolation on different islands, as freshwater crabs are unlikely to cross marine waters.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Cyclops sp.

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Epoch
Series: Ecology of Plankton
Year of Production: 2004
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding appendages) approximately 2.0 cm for a scale of 40:1-4:1 depending on the species
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: 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: Still and slow-moving freshwater, including lakes, ponds, canals, ditches, neglected swimming pools
Diet: Aquatic vegetation, free-living nematodes, carrion
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: There are over 400 described species of Cyclops. They are an important part of a freshwater ecosystem, serving as food for aquatic insects, fish, amphibians, and reptiles.

[JimoAi]

Species: Cyclops sp.

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Epoch
Series: Ecology of Plankton
Year of Production: 2004
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding appendages) approximately 2.0 cm for a scale of 40:1-4:1 depending on the species
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: 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: Still and slow-moving freshwater, including lakes, ponds, canals, ditches, neglected swimming pools
Diet: Aquatic vegetation, free-living nematodes, carrion
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: There are over 400 described species of Cyclops. They are an important part of a freshwater ecosystem, serving as food for aquatic insects, fish, amphibians, and reptiles.

It's Plankton!