Mathison Museum of Natural History

[bmathison1972]

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.

You keep using terms like 'true taxonomy' and 'false taxonomy' and I don't know what you mean by these? Like it or not, taxonomy has changed since 1758.

Also you seem to be equating eating tuna vs. not eating pandas based on IUCN status? Since when is IUCN status a guideline determining what is edible or what should be eaten? Fish are by far more commonly consumed than carnivoran mammals, regardless of IUCN status!

[Isidro]

By true taxonomy I mean the non-absurd one, that changed very slowly and always with logic changes during three or four centuries, and the changes have been given by true scientist by exhaustive biological works, vs. the ridiculous modern taxonomy that changed radically and with nonsensic changes, given by informatics by running a program without need of knowing nothing about biodiversity, in a couple of decades. Please don't "teach" me things that I already know.

Then I guess you consider acceptable eating species in danger of extinction, regardless of being fishes or mammals or whatever? If you change panda by a hoofed mammal (that are almost the only heavily consumed mammals), things would change to you? Change the panda by gaur or takin or babirusa then... I think that people would claim against eating gaur in the western society, despite being very closely related to beef!

If we go to be so imprecise (considering "fishes are commonly consumed"), I think mammals in general are as much or even more consumed (at least in region far from the coasts) than fishes in general, even when "fishes" are muuuuch more broad in number of species, genus, families, orders and classes (and hence in number of eaten species) than mammals (that is just one class)! I said about eating bluefin tuna, not about eating tuna and even less about eating fishes

[bmathison1972]

Species: Myotis formosus (Hodgson, 1835) (Hodgson's bat; copper-winged bat)
About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Choco Q Animatales Series 6
Year of Release: 2002
Size/Scale: Figure length 4.4 cm. Body length (excluding tail) 3.0 cm, for a scale of 1:1.5-1:2
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the older Choco Q figures, some assembly is required

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Widespread but spotty distribution in Central and Southeast Asia and Japan (Tsushima Island)
Habitat: Forests and disturbed areas, roosting in caves, trees, and buildings
Diet: Flying insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Some authorities split M formosus into multiple species based on dentation, cranial morphology, external morphology, and molecular studies. In doing so, M. f. rufoniger, the only subspecies reaching Japan (which this figure probably represents), has been elevated to species status.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Polistes dorsalis (Fabricius, 1775)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Play Visions
Series: Bees, Wasps, and Hornets
Year of Release: 1996
Size/Scale: Figure length (excluding appendages) 4.5 cm. Forewing length 3.0 cm, for a scale of 3:1-2.3:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: One of five species in the genus Polistes in my collection; to my knowledge, all five are unique as toys/figures.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eastern United States, south and west to California and Mexico
Habitat: Forests, fields, disturbed areas, houses and buildings; usually nests in shrubbery, rock piles, and hollow logs, but also under the eaves of buildings
Diet: Developing larvae are fed caterpillars by adults; feeding is done multiple times during larval development. Adults eat nectar and juices from overripe fruit.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Data Deficient
Miscellaneous Notes: Like many other vespid wasps, P. dorsalis is eusocial. Mated females (foundresses) start a new colony and tend to the first generation larvae. Eventually the largest will assume the role of queen. When the first generation emerges as adults (all sterile or partially-sterile females), they assume the role of subordinates (workers) and the queen drives off remaining foundresses. In the event the queen goes missing or dies, a worker will step up to assume the role. A mature colony has upwards of about 30 adults. The colony will start to decline as workers die of old age or when brood care ceases. Often, a young queen is the sole survivor of the colony, and she leaves to start a new colony.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Zerene cesonia (Stoll, 1790) (southern dogface)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: K&M International
Series: Wild Republic Butterflies Nature Tube
Year of Release: 2004
Size/Scale: Wingspan 6.0 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The K&M Butterflies Nature Tube figures were not marketed at the species level, however most of them appear to be painted after actual species. All of the identifications are mine or by other members of the ATF and STS forums. Several of the sculpts (and in some cases paint style) were also used in some of the earlier Safari Ltd. sets and by Insect Lore.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southern and western South America, north to extreme southern United States; strays reaching most of the eastern and southern two-thirds of the US.
Habitat: Meadows, fields, forest edges, roadsides, disturbed areas
Diet: Larvae feed on several plants in the family Fabaceae (legumes), including Medicago (alfalfa), Amorpha (false indigo), Dalea (prairie clovers), Glycine (soybean), and Trifolium (clover). Adults take nectar from various flowers.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated (NatureServe status: Secure)
Miscellaneous Notes: Zerene cesonia gets its common name 'dogface' by the pattern on the forewings, which is said to resemble the face of a dog.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Hallucigenia sparsa (Walcott, 1911)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Trilobiti Design
Series: Scientific Models
Year of Release: 2018
Size/Scale: Body length 10.0 cm for a scale of 10:1-5:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is not a toy or typical PVC figure, but rather a resin model. It is for serious collectors and not to be 'played with'. It can be delicate (a few parts broke in transit to me, but I was able to easily fix them). The base does not come standard with the figure; it was made for me by Trilobiti as a courtesy due to production delays at the time I ordered it. If you want a PVC model that depicts the current concept of the species, the only option is the Cambrian Creatures Mini Model figure by Favorite. Figures by Kaiyodo and COG Ltd. depict an older concept of the animal that was backwards.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Middle Cambrian of present-day Canada
Habitat: Benthic
Diet: Presumed filter feeder of detritus
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: We have learned a lot about H. sparsa in the 40+ years since it was described. Early depictions of the animal displayed upside down and backwards! The phylogenetic relationships of H. sparsa are still not completely understood, but it appears to be a panarthropod related to the onychophorans (velvet worms).

[Isidro]

Size/Scale: Body length 10.0 cm for a scale of 10:1-5:1

I always tought that Hallucigenia was much bigger. Man, it was a tiny critter!

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Apatosaurus louisae Holland, 1916

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Prehistoric Life
Year of Release: 2010
Size/Scale: Figure length 32.5 cm. Measured along spine, total body length 48.5 cm for a scale of about 1:45 for a maximum-sized specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Varies based on figure inspiration and designation (see below)
Miscellaneous Notes: As far as I know, this figure is the only one specifically marketed at the species level as A. louisae (Doug Watson, the sculptor of this figure, specifically indicated as such). The frequency of Apatosaurus figures depends on how many were actually modeled after Apatosaurus versus those that were modeled after Brontosaurus, which was placed in synonymy with Apatosaurus from about 1903 until about 2015.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) of present-day western North America (Utah)
Habitat: Semi-arid habitats with alternating wet and dry seasons, riparian areas, and swampy lowlands
Diet: Presumed grazer on low-growing vegetation
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Apatosaurus louisae was named after Louise Carnegie, the wife of Andrew Carnegie who founded, among many other notable institutions, the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburg, which includes the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CMNH). Andrew Carnegie funded much of the excavations where A. louisae was discovered and the type specimen resides at the CMNH.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Taeniopoda reticulata (Fabricius, 1781) (reticulate lubber grasshopper)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Furuta
Series: Chocoegg Funny Animals Series 2 (Chocoegg Animatales Series 7)
Year of Release: 2003
Size/Scale: Body length 4.5 cm for a scale of 1:1-1:1.5 (within 1:1 for a smaller specimen)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being part of the original Chocoegg series, some assembly is required. The two 'Funny Animals' collections were offshoots of the Chocoegg line that were not produced in conjunction with Kaiyodo.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central America, east of the Central Mountainous Axis from Costa Rica to Panama
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Vegetation, opportunistic scavenger on dead insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Taeniopoda reticulata is morphologically indistinguishable from T. varipennis, which occurs on the Pacific side of the Continental Divide (this figure could realistically represent either species).

[bmathison1972]

Species: Mesotopus tarandus (Swederus, 1787)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King, large series, DX
Year of Release: unknown (c. 2006)
Size/Scale: Body length 9.5 cm (including mandibles), for a scale of 1.3:1 for a large specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is our second look at this species in the Museum. The large 'DX' figures are larger figures of a better quality (paint, sculpt) than Sega's large 'standard' figures. There were 13 species in the series, with approximately 20 figures including variants and repaints with different colored eyes. Minimal assembly required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Equatorial West Africa, including Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Ghana
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae breed in rotting logs colonized by very specific fungi; adult feeding habits not well-documented but probably attracted to sap flows.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: It was a challenge researching much on the biology of this species. They are popular with beetle breeders, but can be challenging to rear unless their diet is supplemented with specific fungi.

[Isidro]

I think this is the first photo of your Museum where you put the figure in nature rather than in a diorama.

[bmathison1972]

I think this is the first photo of your Museum where you put the figure in nature rather than in a diorama.

Actually, it's been done multiple times. At quick glance of my image folders, it's been done about 13 times.

For what it's worth I much prefer dioramas, but for 1:1 and larger arthropods, sometimes outside is better. Unfortunately we are getting into the snow season so it won't allow for a believable backdrop!

[bmathison1972]

Species: Oryx dammah (Cretzschmar, 1827) (scimitar-horned oryx)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Wildlife
Year of Release: 2013
Size/Scale: Total figure length 12.5 cm. Height at shoulder 6.0 cm for a scale of 1:16.7-1:23.3.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is currently the only figure of this species that is of a standard size and still readily available.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North Africa (Chad, Tunisia, Niger)
Habitat: Deserts, semi-deserts, grassy steppes
Diet: Grasses, seed pods, bulbs, tubers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Extinct in the Wild
Miscellaneous Notes: Once widespread throughout the southern Sahara Desert in Africa, O. dammah was driven to extinction in the wild in the 1980s and 1990s due to habitat loss, overhunting, droughts, and competition with livestock. Oryx dammah has been reintroduced into the Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Reserve in Chad and Dghoumes National Park in Tunisia. They have also been released in Niger. The Chad population at least appears to be thriving.

[Isidro]

Miscellaneous Notes: This is currently the only figure of this species that is of a standard size and still readily available.

The only other AFAIK is the Starlux model, that is in the exact same position so it's almost sure that CollectA scultptors were inspirated in the Starlux model for make this figure

[bmathison1972]

Species: Prosopocoilus zebra (Olivier, 1789)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: DeAgostini
Series: World Insect Data Book
Year of Release: unknown
Size/Scale: Figure length (including mandibles) 5.5 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Until 2020, when Bandai produced a P. zebra, this DeAgostini model was the only one I was aware of for this species. The DeAgostini figures 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. 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: Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae live in rotting hardwoods; adults attracted to sap flows. Host data for P. zebra unknown
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like several other large, showy scarabaeoid beetles, I had trouble finding much information on the biology and full distribution of this species, although it appears to be widely distributed in Southeast Asia from Myanmar to Java.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Cryptogonus orbiculus (Gyllenhal, 1808)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Stasto 3D File
Series: Ladybug Collection
Year of Release: 2020
Size/Scale: Body length 5.5 cm for a scale of 17:1-13.75:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The Stasto 3D File ladybug figures have an ingenious design for distribution that minimizes packaging. There are eight figures in the collection. Two figures come connected to form their own gashapon capsule. The two figures are separated by gently twisting them. Once apart, the bottom of the figure extends, revealing the legs and antennae. The legs and antennae are extended and placed in the desired position and then the body is closed back up, revealing the final product.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Widespread in Southeast Asia and Japan
Habitat: Varied, including forests, fields, disturbed areas, agricultural fields
Diet: Predator on sternorrhynchan hemipterans (scales, aphids, whiteflies, etc.)
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Cryptogonus orbiculus is considered a beneficial predator of agricultural pests. It was introduced to California in 1910 to combat mealybugs, but the introduction was unsuccessful as it could not adapt to the climate.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus, 1758) (monarch)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Authentics Insects
Year of Release: 1995
Size/Scale: Figure width 6.5 cm. Spread normally, wingspan would come to 5.5 cm for a scale of approximately 1:1.5-1:2
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is probably the most commonly-made butterfly at the species level; Safari Ltd. has made it at least five times! At the time of this writing, I have 19 specimens. This figure suffers from what so many nymphalid figures do: too many legs (generally, Authentics figures are a bit stylized).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North, Central, and South America, the Caribbean, the Azores, Canary Islands, North Africa, Australia, the Philippines, and South Pacific islands; rare stray to the United Kingdom
Habitat: Fields, forests, gardens, disturbed areas
Diet: Larvae feed on milkweeds in the family Apocynaceae, most commonly members of the genus Asclepias; adults take nectar from a variety of flowers
NatureServe Status (at time of posting): Apparently Secure
Miscellaneous Notes: Adult monarchs are toxic due to cardenolides in their bodies they acquire from eating milkweeds as larvae. As such, they are aposematically colored, with contrasting black and bright orange markings. This has resulting in mimicry rings with other species, including the viceroy (Limenitis archippus). Because the monarch and viceroy are both considered distasteful, this is an example of Müllerian mimicry, whereby two toxic/distasteful species mimic each other.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (Linnaeus, 1766) (capybara)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Wildlife
Year of Release: 2011
Size/Scale: Total figure length 7.0 cm. Height at shoulder 3.1 cm for a scale of 1:16-1:20
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: Figures of capybara are not common, but usually readily available. This CollectA figure is probably the best standard-sized figure readily available at the moment. The retired Safari figure is my favorite, but hard to come by these days. There are a few by the Japanese companies that are smaller and might scale better with other standard-sized wildlife.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Much of South America, east of the Andes and south to the Argentinian pampas
Habitat: Flooded grasslands, marshes, rivers, lakes, lowland forests, agricultural fields, scrubland; habitats where water is readily available year-round
Diet: Grasses, aquatic plants, occasionally fruit and bark
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris is the largest extant rodent. They are a major food source of anacondas, caimans, jaguars, and indigenous peoples. They are always on guard for possible predators, often hiding in the water with just their dorsally-located nostrils and eyes exposed to the air (a clear adaptation for a semi-aquatic mammal).

[bmathison1972]

Species: Eupatorus gracilicornis Arrow, 1908 (five-horned rhinoceros beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Epoch
Series: Flying Beetles
Year of Release: 2004
Size/Scale: Wingspan 11.5 cm. Body length (including horns) 6.0 cm, within scale 1:1 for a smaller specimen.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: Not one of the more commonly-made species, but still a standard among some Japanese companies. There is some assembly required for this figure. It attaches to a habitat-style base with a black plastic rod, from which it is removable.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae feed on rotting wood; adults feed on nectar, plant sap, and overripe fruit
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: There are currently five described subspecies of E. gracilicornis: E. g. edai (Dwana Range, border of Myanmar and Thailand), E. g. kimioi (southern Thailand), E. g. davidgohi (western Malaysia), E. g. prandii (southern Vietnam), and the nominate E. g. gracilicornis (India to China, south to northern Vietnam and Thailand).

[bmathison1972]

Species: Perca flavescens (Mitchill, 1815) (yellow perch)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Great Lakes TOOB
Year of Release: 2020
Size/Scale: Body length 7.5 cm for a scale of 1:2.5 for an average-sized specimen, 1:6.6 for a maximum-sized specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The only figures of this species I am aware of are this one and the one by Replica Toy Fish.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northeastern North America, in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence and Mississippi River basins, south to the Savannah River in the Atlantic Slope basin; introduced to other areas as game fish.
Habitat: Freshwater lakes, ponds, pools, and rivers; occasionally in brackish water and saline lakes
Diet: Aquatic invertebrates, fish and fish eggs
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Perca flavescens is an important part of the freshwater ecosystem throughout its range, as it serves as a major food source for many aquatic animals, especially picivorous birds. It is also a very popular game fish and is considered one of the finest-flavored pan fish.