Mathison Museum of Natural History

[bmathison1972]

Species: Hottentotta tamulus (Fabricius, 1798)
Common name(s): Indian red scorpion; eastern Indian scorpion; white scorpion

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Toymany
Series: 12PCS Reptile Figurine Set
Year of Production: 2023
Size/Scale: Body length (incl. metasoma) approx. 7.7 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was simply marketed as a 'Red Scorpion' and the identification is my own (there are not a lot of options for 'red' scorpions).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central Asia (India, Sri Lanka, eastern Pakistan, Nepal)
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical forested lowlands, scrubland, agricultural fields and plantations, urban and suburban areas
Diet: Invertebrates, small vertebrates (e.g., small lizards)
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: The venom of H. tamulus is potent, with a fatality rate of 8-40%, especially in susceptible groups such as children and the elderly. The venom primarily affects the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems, eventually leading to pulmonary edema. High morbidity and mortality is usually attributed to either excessive autonomic activity and cardiovascular toxic effects or neuromuscular toxic effects. Scorpion antivenom appears to have little effect, but prazosin may lower the risk of death to below 4%.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Asterocampa celtis (de Boisduval & LeConte, 1835)
Common name(s): hackberry emperor

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Toy Major
Series: Butterflies
Year of Production: 1996
Size/Scale: Wingspan approx. 7.0 cm for a scale of 2:1-1.1:1
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.

The TM butterflies are not marketed at the species level, but most are painted to look like recognizable species (the identifications are mine or by other forum members). Of all of the ones I retained, this is one that I am most hesitant about the identification. For years I considered it a female Apatura ilia (lesser purple emperor) but was never comfortable with that ID (the same sculpt was used for another figure that was clearly painted after the Club Earth Apatura iris). The wing shape certainly suggests something in the tribe Apaturini. While I am not crazy with the present ID, I am currently settling on A. celtis for my personal collection. However, I am not opposed to changing the name is something better is proposed.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eastern to southwestern North America
Habitat: Deciduous woodlands, forest margins, riparian areas, suburban areas
Diet: Larvae feed on plants in the genus Celtis (hackberry); adults feed on flower nectar, sap, overripe fruit, dung, carrion
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated (NatureServe status is Secure)
Miscellaneous Notes: Adult A. celtis take nutrients from a variety of liquid sources. In addition to those listed above, they are also known to feed on human sweat!

[bmathison1972]

Species: Oryctolagus cuniculus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): European rabbit; coney

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yowie Group
Series: Premier Series
Year of Production: 2015
Size/Scale: Total figure length approx. 4.0 cm. Using hind foot as a metric (n=1.2 cm) scale comes to approx. 1:7.1-1:8.3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon (as wild type; very common including the domestic subspecies)
Miscellaneous Notes: Despite the popularity with toy domestic rabbits, the wild type is relatively uncommon in our hobby. I am not sure of others still in production other that CollectA's from 2006.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Native to the Iberian Peninsula and adjacent France and northwest Africa; introduced throughout much of the rest of the world, including much of the rest of Europe (incl. British Isles), Oceania, Japan (Ōkunoshima), Southern Africa, USA (San Juan Islands, Washington), Chile, Australia, and New Zealand
Habitat: Brushy fields, meadows, cultivated land, farms, parks, gardens, cemeteries
Diet: Generalized herbivore, including grasses, leaves, buds, tree bark, roots, crops, garden vegetables
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Although O. cuniculus has been introduced around the world, sometimes to devistating effects, in its native range it is considered Endangered by the IUCN. Reasons for decline include the viral diseases myxomatosis and rabbit hemorrhagic disease, overhunting, and habitat loss.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Hirudo medicinalis Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): European medicinal leech

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sbabam
Series: Piccoli Mostri
Year of Production: 2018
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 9.0 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Piccoli Mostri ('Little Monsters') figures are 'soft-and-squishy', almost like little bean bag toys, but as a professional clinical parasitologist I couldn't resist them!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Europe to Central Asia
Habitat: Temperate muddy and well-vegetated lakes, ponds, ditches
Diet: Young leeches feed on the blood of amphibians; older leeches primarily feed on the blood of larger mammals, such as equids, ungulates, and humans
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Medicinal leeches are still used today, primarily to stimulate circulation in tissues at risk for postoperative venous congestion. However, patients on whom leeches are used are at risk of a bacteremia caused by Aeromonas veronii, a symbiotic bacteria in the digestive tract of the leeches. As such, patients are often given antibiotics preemptively to reduce the risk of bacteremia. There have also been studies looking to try and treat the leeches first. In one study, treated leeches lived up to four months, suggesting this might be more effective than chemoprophylaxis of the patients themselves.



P.S...after preparing this post, I think my 2025 October blog reviews will all be from the Piccoli Mostri line! Might make for a fun theme!

[BlueKrono]

Do you know of any other leech toys? The only others I have are fishing lures, which I note are not brought up on the forum much. Some are fairly decent, with a mouth and the body striations. Maybe designed more to catch fishermen than fish, but it worked on me.

[bmathison1972]

Do you know of any other leech toys? The only others I have are fishing lures, which I note are not brought up on the forum much. Some are fairly decent, with a mouth and the body striations. Maybe designed more to catch fishermen than fish, but it worked on me.

The only other one I am aware of is the Giant Microbes that @Gwangi did a review of on the Blog: https://animaltoyforum.com/blog/leech-giant-microbes/

I don't collect plush, so I don't have it.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Morpho menelaus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): Menelaus blue morpho

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Rainbow
Series: Butterflies of the World - Real Magnet Collection Vol. 1
Year of Production: 2023
Size/Scale: Wingspan approx. 8.0 cm for a scale of 1:1.3-1:1.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the fifth time we've seen M. menelaus in the Museum. Morpho menelaus exhibits some sexual dimorphism and this figure represents a male. Figures in this set appear to consist of images of butterfly wings painted on a coated/protected paper of some kind and then affixed to a generic butterfly body. The underside of the wings are solid black with the Latin name of the butterfly and the name of the set in Japanese. The underside of the plastic body has a flat, non-obtrusive magnet. While preparing this post, I decided to check eBay and learned a Volume 2 has been released! Needless to say, I snatched it up (and it will include two new-to-figure species).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central America and northern South America
Habitat: Rainforest, tropical savanna
Diet: Larvae feed on plants in the genera Erythroxylium and Machaerium; adults take fluids from overripe fruit
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: The wings of M. menelaus have a superhydrophobic surface. If a drop of water hits the wing, it forms a ball and rolls off the wing, taking dirt with it. This 'self-cleaning' phenomenon has attracted research interest.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Gromphadorhina portentosa (Schaum, 1853)
Common name(s): Madagascar hissing cockroach

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: 4D Master
Series: Bug & Creature World
Year of Production: 2024
Size/Scale: Body length (excl. appendages) approx. 8.3 cm for a scale of 1.7:1-1.1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Being a puzzle figure, substantial assembly is required. The model comes in 26 pieces and according to the accompanying paperwork, you are considered advanced if you can assemble it in 4 minutes, average in 8 minutes, and a beginner in 12 minutes.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Madagascar
Habitat: Lowland tropical rainforest; usually in dry litter on the forest floor and in rotting logs
Diet: Decaying plant material, carrion, small insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Gromphadorhina portentosa is best known for the hissing sound that gives it its common English name. The sound is produced when air is forcibly discharged out of specialized respiratory spiracles, mainly those that are located on the fourth abdominal segment. The function of the sound is believed to be for scaring and warding off would-be predators, but it might also be used for intraspecific communication, such as between two rival males.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Nebularmis japonica (Morikawa, 1951)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Capsule Q Museum - Backyard Creatures: Soil Organisms
Year of Production: 2015
Size/Scale: Body length (excl. appendages) approx. 3.0 cm for a scale of 136:1-68:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was marketed as Echiniscus japonicus before the description of Nebularmis in 2020 (see below).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan
Habitat: Montane forests, typically among mosses and lichens
Diet: Unknown, presumably mosses and/or detritus
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Echiniscus japonicus was described in 1951 from specimens collected in Macromitrium moss on Mt. Ishizuchi, Japan. In 2020, a phylogenetic analysis of Echiniscus resulted in the description of multiple new genera; E. japonicus was transferred to the new genus Nebularmis as a nomen inquirendum although I am not entirely sure why. The original description is available online and there is no formal designation of a holotype nor a location where specimens were archived; it's possible the species identity cannot be confirmed in the absence of reference material.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Ceratophrys ornata (Bell, 1843)
Common name(s): Argentine horned frog; ornate horned frog; pacman frog; Bell's horned frog; escuerzo

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Frogs in Colour Pictorial Book
Year of Production: 2006
Size/Scale: Snout-to-vent length approx. 4.0 cm for a scale of 1:2.5-1:3.1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: Ceratophrys frogs can be as difficult to identify in plastic as in real life (the pet trade), but most figures are probably based on this species unless otherwise specified.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East-central South America (northwestern Argentina, Uruguay, extreme southern Brazil)
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical grasslands and savanna, irrigated cropland
Diet: Insects and arachnids, small reptiles and amphibians, small mammals
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Ceratophrys ornata is a voracious ambush predator and will attempt to eat anything that wanders past and can fit in its mouth, even at the risk of suffocation!

[bmathison1972]

Species: Sasakia charonda (Hewitson, 1863)
Common name(s): great purple emperor; Japanese emperor

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Chocoegg Animatales Series 3; Capsule Q Museum - Caterpillars Vol. 4
Years of Production: 2000; 2020
Size/Scale: Wingspan of adult approx. 5.0 cm, within scale 1:1 for male specimen. Body length of caterpillar 7.0 cm for a scale of 2:1 (see below).
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the fourth time we've seen S. charonda in the Museum. The adult is from the original Chocoegg line and assembly is required. The caterpillar is from the Capsule Q Museum line and was sold as a 'strap' figure; luckily, the strap unscrews easily leaving a tiny, non-obtrusive hole. I could not readily find any metrics online for the length of the caterpillar. Looking at 'in-hand' images online the figure appears to be around 2:1 in scale but could easily be 2.5:1 or larger.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Asia, Japan
Habitat: Broadleaf forests, usually in the upper canopies
Diet: Larvae feed on plants in the genus Celtis (hackberry); adults are attracted to overripe fruit and sap flows, especially of Quercus (oak)
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Larvae of S. charonda uses oral odorants to repel would-be predators, such as wasps and ants. The main chemicals responsible for the deterrents are 2-butanol, 1-penten-3-ol, and 3-pentanone.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Coccinellidae, gen. sp.
Common name(s): lady beetle, ladybug, ladybird

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Hidden Kingdom Insects
Year of Production: 2004
Size/Scale: Body length (excl. appendages) approx. 6.0 cm. Scale not calculatable without knowing intended species.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very common (as a family)
Miscellaneous Notes: These two figures represent the same sculpt, just painted differently. The paint jobs appear to be generic and probably not based on actual species (if they were, I have yet to find good matches). The red one looks like it may have been modeled after something in the genus Coccinella, but there are too many spots for the familiar C. septempunctata or C. novemnotata. The yellow one might have been modeled after Propylea, but again too generic to say for sure.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Worldwide
Habitat: Highly varied based on species and geographic location, including open woodlands and forests, fields, meadows, farmland, high mountains, coasts, suburban and urban parks and gardens
Diet: Highly varied; most species are predaceous on small, soft-bodied insects such as sternorrhynchan hemipterans (aphids, scales, whiteflies, etc.). Members of the genus Psyllobora feed on mildews while the subfamily Epilachninae are largely or completely phytophagous, with some being considered serious crops of plants in the families Solanaceae (nightshades) and Cucurbitaceae (squashes, gourds, melons).
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [species-dependent, but most probably Not Evaluated]
Miscellaneous Notes: The word 'lady' in various English names for these beetles is in reference to the biblical character Mary, mother of Jesus. While 'ladybug' is probably the most common term for these insects, at least in North America, entomologists prefer to use the terms 'ladybird' or 'lady beetle' to avoid confusion with the 'true' bugs in the order Hemiptera.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Siderone galanthis (Cramer, 1775)
Common name(s): scarlet leafwing; red-striped leafwing

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Butterflies of the World Collectors Case
Year of Production: 2001
Size/Scale: Wingspan approx. 5.1 cm for a scale of 1:1.2-1:1.4
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen S. galanthis in the Museum, both by Safari Ltd. The earlier figure was for the 1997 Authentics collection and, although more stylized, has a more realistic shape to its wings. Today's figure was marketed as S. nemesis and from what I can tell, that name is now generally considered a synonym or subspecies of S. galanthis.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central and South America, from Mexico to southern Brazil, and the Caribbean
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical lowland deciduous and evergreen forests, often along the margins and adjacent open areas
Diet: Larvae feed on plants in the family Salicaceae, including Casearia and Zuelania; adults feed on overripe fruit and nutrients derived from moist soil.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: While Siderone galanthis has the upperside of its wings brightly colored with contrasting red and black, the underside of its wings resemble dead leaves. This is an example of 'now you see me, now you don't' as a way of confusing would-be predators, such as birds. When seen in flight in bright sunlight, the butterfly would be highly visible to predatory birds, but if pursued the butterfly would immediately land, snapping its wings shut so that only the 'dead-leaf' underside was visible. The bird would still keep searching for a bright red butterfly, but the somber underside confuses the bird and keeps the butterfly hidden.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Tianzhenosaurus youngi Pang & Cheng, 1998

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Haolonggood
Series: 1:35 Science and Art Model
Year of Production: 2023
Size/Scale: Figure length approx. 15.0 cm. Using skull length as a metric (n=1.5 cm) scales comes to approx. 1:18.7
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique (as a sculpt)
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other Haolonggood dinosaurs, this figure came in two colors; mine is 'green' while the other is 'red'. This figure scales larger than the advertised 1:35.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Campanian) of present-day China
Habitat: Open woodlands, semi-arid plains
Diet: Vegetation
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: In less than a year after T. youngi was described, it was suggested that Tianzhenosaurus (and Shanxia) be considered junior synonyms of Saichania based on overall morphology. This was supported by another study in 2015. In 2024, a new species was described, T. chengi, whose cranial characters seem to show sufficient distinction from other Asian ankylosaurids, such as Saichania and Shanxia. Tianzhenosaurus chengi was found in the same rock layers as T. youngi, so time will tell if they turn out to be conspecific.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Regalecus russellii (Cuvier, 1816)
Common name(s): slender oarfish; Russell's oarfish

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Colorata
Series: Deep Sea Fish
Year of Production: 2015
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 19.5 cm for a maximum scale of 1:41
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: Minimal assembly is required and the fish is removable from its base. This is the second version of this species by Colorata. The original version (year unknown) had an undulating body and came with a different base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Worldwide in temperate, tropical, and subtropical oceans and seas
Habitat: Bathypelagic; at depths of 200-1,000 meters
Diet: Zooplankton, small marine invertebrates, small fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Regalecus russellii is essentially toothless, although vestigial teeth have been observed in some specimens. It is a filter feeder of small animals in the water column, including planktonic crustaceans and small fish and squid. It uses its jaw to fill its orobranchial cavity with water containing prey, passing it through the gullet into the stomach.

[sbell]

I'm not home so I can't check for sure, but my photo of the original Colorata oarfish is from August 2009, so the original set probably came out between 2008 and 2009.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Anthia thoracica (Thunberg, 1784)
Common name(s): two-spotted ground beetle; giant African ground beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: unknown
Series: unknown
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (excl. appendages) approx. 3.7 cm for a scale of 1:1.3-1:1.4
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: I don't know anything about this figure, including who made it or when it released. It is in the style of many of the now vintage figures from the 1990s. It was part of a set of exotic beetles I bought on eBay years ago. Some of the species are on the same Italian Beetles poster that was the influence for the Wing Mau beetle collection, but others are not (today's A. thoracica is on the poster). I suspect the influence was from a popular book at the time, such as Art Evans' An Inordinate Fondness for Beetles. Regardless, it includes some interesting, rare, and unique taxa. The figures are not marked with anything, other than their number in the series, and the identifications are my own. Based on these numbers, I suspect the set I bought on eBay was not complete and there are others I am still unaware of.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southern Africa
Habitat: Deserts, savanna
Diet: Predaceous on other arthropods
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Anthia thoracica belongs to the tribe Anthiini, a group mostly endemic to arid regions of southern Africa. They are large, powerful predators that rely on speed and agility to capture prey, and to avoid becoming prey themselves. Like the related bombardier beetles, they are capable of releasing noxious chemicals from the terminus of their abdomen. The chemicals consist of concentrated organic acids and quinone. This method of defense has earned them the local Afrikaner term oogpister, which translates to 'eye pisser' ;-).