Mathison Museum of Natural History

[Halichoeres]

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.

This is 4D master? That's really cool! Love those go-go-gadget-forelegs

[Isidro]

I don't fancy very much the common otter because is a too well known and not exciting species for me, but if I have to choose one for my collection, it must be this one. It's so well done that I prefair it over non-assembly figures!

[Physeter macrocephalus]

Kaiyodo river otter is addorable.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Cuculus canorus Linnaeus, 1758 (common cuckoo)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Choco Q Animatales Series 9
Year of Release: 2004
Size/Scale: Figure stands 4.5 cm tall. Measured along spine, body length 6.0 cm for a scale of 1:5.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Being a Choco Q figure, assembly is required. I am aware of only two figures of this species, both by Kaiyodo: this one, and one in the Birdtales line featuring the chick being fed by a host!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Much of Europe and Asia; one subspecies winters in sub-Saharan Africa
Habitat: Highly variable, including forests, meadows, steppes, moorlands, agricultural fields, disturbed areas, yards and gardens
Diet: Primarily insects, occasionally eggs and chicks of host bird
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Cuckoos are best known for their social parasitism. The female cuckoo lays an egg in the nest of another species; the cuckoo's egg mimics the egg of the host species and will vary in color depending on what the host is. The female cuckoo will also remove an egg of the host bird, so the number of eggs in the nest remains the same. The cuckoo chick usually hatches earlier than those of the host, and will dispatch the other eggs or chicks so it receives all of the food brought by the host bird.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Pectinia lactuca (Pallas, 1776) (lettuce coral)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Corals in Colour
Year of Release: 2005
Size/Scale: Figure 3.0 cm wide for a scale of 1:33 for a large specimen
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.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-Pacific
Habitat: Reefs, usually on lower slopes in turbid water at depths of 1-15 meters
Diet: Planktonic organisms that drift within reach
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Pectinia lactuca is a colonial reef-building coral. Colonies are submassive or form thick plates with radiating bodies.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Lucanus cervus (Linnaeus, 1758) (European stag beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Little Wonders
Year of Release: 2015
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 7.0 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: When this figure was first released, the line was called 'Insects' and included reptiles and amphibians; the line is now called Little Wonders. The smaller figure in the image is the miniature counterpart of the larger figure; it was released in 2020 as part of the Mini Insects and Spiders collection. All of the figures in the mini collection are simply smaller versions of the standard-sized CollectA figures. This miniature stag beetle has a body length of 4.2 cm (including mandibles), making it about 1:2 for a large major male (it is technically within the 1:1 scale for a male, but a male that small would probably be a minor male and have much shorter mandibles).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Europe, east into parts of the Middle East and Central Asia
Habitat: Old-growth hardwood forests
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting wood of hardwood trees, particularly Quercus (oak), but also Tilia (lime), Fagus (beech), Acer (maple), Populus (poplar), and Fraxinus (ash), among several others; also rotting timber, bark chippings, compost heaps in gardens, and other detritus. Adults feed on nectar and tree sap.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Larvae of L. cervus require large, old trees in which to develop. The destruction of old-growth forests throughout Europe has lead to a substantial decline in the beetle's population. It is extinct in some European countries and very rare in many others. It is now protected throughout much of its range.

[Isidro]

Nectar? Never heard about that!

[bmathison1972]

Programming note: Today is the 100th post on this thread! And I get to celebrate it with a familiar critter I grew up with in the deserts of Arizona:

Species: Aphonopelma chalcodes Chamberlin, 1940 (Arizona blonde tarantula)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: K&M International
Series: Spiders Bulk
Year of Release: 1997
Size/Scale: Legspan 6.5 cm. Carapace length 1.5 cm for a scale of approximately 1:1-1.5:1 for a female (1:1 for a small specimen).
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique to rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure is labeled as 'desert tarantula' and could easily represent one of several Aphonopelma species. Other common names for A. chalcodes are western desert tarantula and desert blonde tarantula. The rarity of this species in toy form depends on the species designation a collector chooses. For example, the large pale tarantula released by Bullyland in 1992 could also easily represent A. chalcodes. Like most spider figures, this one has an incorrect number and arrangement of eyes for the genus and family.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northern Mexico
Habitat: Deserts
Diet: Primarily insects and other arthropods, occasionally small reptiles
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: The breeding season for A. chalcodes is July-September, primarily during the summer monsoon season. Males and females of A. chalcodes usually don't mate until they are at least 10 years old. Males will leave their burrows after summer rains and seek out females. Females molt once a year, loosing the lining of the epigynum (where sperm is stored) in the process. As such, females must mate again after each molt in order to produce fertile eggs.

[bmathison1972]

With today's post being the 100th, I thought I would do some fun stat updates . Others like @Lanthanotus or @Halichoeres might appreciate this data :-P

First, let's look at percentages of major groups and how well they have performed.

percentage of my collection/percentage to-date in this thread:
Arthropods: 58.6%/58%
Mammals: 13.6%/11%
Fish: 8.2%/12%
Birds: 6.8%/5%
non-Arthropod Invertebrates: 4.2%/5%
Reptiles: 3.6%/4%
Amphibians: 2.4%/1%
Dinosaurs: 1.7%/4%
Protozoans/Plankton: 0.9%/0%

Arthropods, reptiles, and non-arthropod invertebrates are hitting things about where they should (statistically, I believe the better represented something is, the more likely it will come up at a predictable outcome). Fish are overperforming and birds are underperforming; fish were overperforming at a higher rate going into January, but we haven't seen one yet this month, but birds have never performed well. Mammals were performing about where they should going into January, but slipped recently. Statistically, January has been an odd month to date.

Now, within Arthropods:
Insects: 71.4%/70.7%
Crustaceans: 13.7%/18.9%
Arachnids: 10.4%/8.6%
Misc. Arthropods: 4.4%/1.7%

Not bad, but crustaceans are over-performing at the expense of miscellaneous arthropods.

There is one caveat that will affect percentages, ever so slightly (and mostly with regards to the arthropds), and that is posts that remove two or more figures from the database (e.g., male and female released together). For the database, with the exception of life cycle sets, one line is one figure. So, in this case it is when the random number generator lands on one of the two (or more), but both are reviewed and removed. I have done a rough estimate on the number of posts that will remove more than one line from the database in one post:
Two figures: 129*
Three figures: 9
Four figures: 2
Five figures: 1
*we have already seen two figures covered 11 times

Now, some interesting numbers and tidbits of information:

Species that have come up more than once: Bathynomus giganteus (2x), Prosopocoilus giraffa (2x), Prosopocoilus inclinatus (2x).

Genera with more than one species: Dynastes (2), Lamprima (2), Megasoma (2), Morpho (3), Prosopocilus (3).

Well-represented arthropod genera that have not come up yet: Chalcosoma (33 figures representing 3 species), Coccinella (18 figures representing 4 species), Dorcus (58 figures representing 15 species and subspecies), Pandinus (17 figures representing 2 species), Papilio (39 figures representing 14 species), Vespa (17 figures representing 6 species).

Also, where is all the 'hoofstock'? I have 96 figures of non-cetacean Artiodactyla and Perissodactyla, yet none have come up yet.

Among major companies not yet represented are Schleich and Mojo Fun!

Anyway, we'll look at stats again after post 150 and see if some things are smoothing out!

[Lanthanotus]

Thanks for all those statistic works @bmathison1972  .... I know you said you choose your figure for this thread by
chance... but how do you choose exactly... does every figure have a certain number and roll the dice by using a
computed chance generator?

[bmathison1972]

Thanks for all those statistic works @bmathison1972  .... I know you said you choose your figure for this thread by
chance... but how do you choose exactly... does every figure have a certain number and roll the dice by using a
computed chance generator?

yes, it is in an Excel file. So I use the line number. I use random.org to generate the daily number.

[Halichoeres]

I definitely appreciate this level of nerdery.

[bmathison1972]

Iforgot, I also had numbers for each company to date (alphabetical order):


4D Master   2
AAA   1
AquaKitz   1
Arboreum Artwork  1
Bandai/Bandai Spirits   1
Blip Toys   1
Bullyland   2
Cadbury/Yowie Group   5
Club Earth   1
CollectA   5
Colorata   3
DeAgostini   3
Eikoh   1
Epoch   1
F-toys   1
Ikimon/Kitan Club   6
K&M International   1
Kabaya   2
Kaiyodo/Furuta   12
Koro Koro   1
Natural History   1
Noah's Pals   1
Paleocasts   1
Paleo-Creatures   2
Papo     2
Play Visions   4
Safari Ltd.   13
Sega   5
Stewart Sales Services   1
Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.   4
Toy Fish Factory/Replica Toy Fish   3
Toy Major   1
US Toy   1
Wild Kraatz  2
Wing Mau   3
Yujin    4
unknown   1

[bmathison1972]

Species: Luciola filiformis yayeyamana Matsumura, 1918

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Jám
Series: Miracle of the Earth: The Brilliance of Fireflies
Year of Release: 2005
Size/Scale: The base of the diorama is 6.5 cm wide by 5.0 cm deep. Body length of insect 2.4 cm for a scale of approximately 5:1.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The figure was marketed as L. yayeyamana, which is now considered a subspecies of L. filiformis. I did not photograph this figure is a diorama setting since it comes with its own! The beetle is permanently affixed to the tree stump base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Ishigaki and Iriomote Islands, Yaeyama Archipelago, Japan
Habitat: Forests
Diet: Larvae are terrestrial predators of soft-bodied invertebrates in leaf litter and soil; adults do not feed.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: I had trouble researching information on the biology of this subspecies and attempted to extrapolate information based on the nominate subspecies and related congeners. While the larvae of many of the more familiar Japanese Luciola species are aquatic predators, those of L. filiformis yayeyamana are terrestrial.

[Isidro]

Aquatic larvae for a firefly? I'm shocked!!! As if fireflies were not enough strange and full or amazing facts, there comes another more strange fact about them! Never imagined that! Until now I tought that all beetles whose larvae are aquatic, are also aquatic (or at least amphibian) as adults (dytiscids and allies, hydrophilids and allies, Donaciine leaf beetles, Bagoine weevils).

[bmathison1972]

Species: Chiromantes haematocheir (De Haan, 1833) (red-clawed crab)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Revogeo
Year of Release: 2019
Size/Scale: Figure width 14.5 cm. Carapace width 5.3 cm for a scale of 2.4:1-1.5:1 (on average, twice natural size)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: Like all of the Revogeo models, this figure is large, heavily-detailed, and articulated. This crab is less-articulated than others in the line to date, with articulations only in the claws and eye stalks.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Asia, including China, Formosa, Taiwan, Korea, Japan
Habitat: Swamps, intertidal mud flats, freshwater creeks, mountain streams
Diet: Omnivore; scavenger primarily on plant but also occasionally animal matter
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: There is a population of C. haematocheir called yama-gani in Japan that lives on mountains 600 meters above sea level. They will return to fresh water to molt and lay eggs, but they spend most of their time on land.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Panulirus cygnus George, 1962 (Australian spiny lobster; western spiny lobster)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Series: Yowies Series 1
Year of Release: 1997
Size/Scale: Body length 5.5 cm for a scale of 1:7.3 for a large specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Yowies, assembly is required and the figure is slightly stylized.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Coast of Australia
Habitat: Benthic, at depths of 0-120 meters (usually 0-90 meters)
Diet: Omnivore, including seagrass, coralline algae, and marine invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Panulirus cygnus is a major commercial crustacean in Australia, with an annual catch of 8,000-15,000 metric tons (consisting of a mix of species, but with P. cygnus the major component).

[bmathison1972]

Species: Thunnus orientalis (Temminck & Schlegel, 1844) (Pacific bluefin tuna)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Colorata
Series: Salt Water Fish
Year of Release: 2015 (2006)
Size/Scale: Body length 11.5 cm for a scale of 1:13-1:26
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was originally released in 2006, but mine is from a re-release in 2015 with a new base. The figure was originally marketed as the Atlantic bluefin tuna (T. thynnus) and is indicated in the accompanying booklet as having a worldwide distribution. However, the Pacific populations are now considered a separate species, with strict T. thynnus limited to the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Since the booklet explicitly states the focus of the collection is the fauna around Japan, it muct be intended to represent T. orientalis. Most figures of bluefin from Japanese companies probably represent T. orientalis. The figure is removable from its base and there is minimal assembly (the pectoral fins need to be attached).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North Pacific Ocean, occasional visitor to the Southern Hemisphere, especially in spring and early summer.
Habitat: Pelagic, at depths of 0-550 meters (usually 0-200 meters)
Diet: Small and medium-sized fish, cephalopods, crustaceans
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Thunnus orientalis is a major part of the commercial fish industry in Japan, where it is caught and raised (aquaculture) for food, most notably for sushi and sashimi. However, it is regarded as Vulnerable due to overfishing in some areas.

[JimoAi]

Species: Thunnus orientalis (Temminck & Schlegel, 1844) (Pacific bluefin tuna)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Colorata
Series: Salt Water Fish
Year of Release: 2015 (2006)
Size/Scale: Body length 11.5 cm for a scale of 1:13-1:26
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was originally released in 2006, but mine is from a re-release in 2015 with a new base. The figure was originally marketed as the Atlantic bluefin tuna (T. thynnus) and is indicated in the accompanying booklet as having a worldwide distribution. However, the Pacific populations are now considered a separate species, with strict T. thynnus limited to the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Since the booklet explicitly states the focus of the collection is the fauna around Japan, it muct be intended to represent T. orientalis. Most figures of blufin from Japanese companies probably represent T. orientalis. The figure is removable from its base and there is minimal assembly (the pectoral fins need to be attached).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North Pacific Ocean, occasional visitor to the Southern Hemisphere, especially in spring and early summer.
Habitat: Pelagic, at depths of 0-550 meters (usually 0-200 meters)
Diet: Small and medium-sized fish, cephalopods, crustaceans
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Thunnus orientalis is a major part of the commercial fish industry in Japan, where it is caught and raised (aquaculture) for food, most notably for sushi and sashimi. However, it is regarded as Vulnerable due to overfishing in some areas.

I love eating tuna. I got the set like 3 years back and mine seems to be the newer run

[Isidro]

Nice Thunnus thynnus, I have the same in my collection (since I bought the same set).

We live in a world where eating bluefin tuna is considered socially acceptable but eating giant panda, that have the same IUCN status, is not. Absolutely weird. Humans do in modern times such crazy things such as eating species in the extinction brink or inventing incredibly absurd false taxonomy.