Mathison Museum of Natural History

[sbell]

I have a 10 year old colony of dubia that I raise for my reptiles. I can understand them being banned in Hawaii or Florida but in Canada? That's absurd.

Patently so. Canada has an unfortunate habit of jumping on bandwagons of banning "invasive species risks" that don't make any sense. Cane toads are banned here too despite them not realistically being able to survive over winter, let alone become well enough established to be invasive.

The U.S. is like that too, depending on the state. For example, Jack Dempsey cichlids are illegal in Maine for fear of becoming an invasive. Even though they come from Central America and absolutely could not survive a Maine winter. That was once the case at least, the law may have changed. Meanwhile, you can keep crocodilians in Pennsylvania.

We can't even keep hognose snakes where I am -- just because there's a species here. Even though most captive ones are eastern hognose snakes

Wow...that's depressing. Hognose snakes are great! But captive hognose snakes are mostly western hognoses (Heterodon nasicus), not the eastern hognose which are harder to keep due to their preference for amphibians. Western hognoses are easier to convert to rodent prey.

There are some states where it is illegal to keep corn snakes because they're native to the state, even if the corn snake is a captive bred color morph.

Then that's definitely why. No native species. Or ones that could possibly be.

They banned bowfin recently, I think for fear of introducing them. I say they should ket it happen. They were here 60mya, so technically they belong

I would rather see bowfin transplanted around than most gamefish species. I annoys me to no end how protected and spread about some non-native gamefish (trout especially) are while other non-native fish and even some natives are persecuted. A topic best left for another thread, I suppose. I did not know bowfin weren't in Canada! Looking at a range map it looks like they are but just barely.

They're in eastern waters, but not out west where I am!

And i agree that there's too much 'conservation' of introduced fish like non-native trout and the usual bass. Native fish are just as good!

[bmathison1972]

Species: Rhomborhina unicolor Motschulsky, 1861

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bandai
Series/Collection: Diversity of Life on Earth - Beetles Vol. 7
Year of Production: 2024
Size/Scale: Body length (excl. appendages) approx. 6.5 cm for a scale of 3:1-2.2:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Assembly was required but the final product has minimal articulations. There is an option to display it on a base (not included) but the elytra don't open, so it cannot be displayed in flight like earlier Diversity scarabs.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Asia (China, Tibet, Japan, Taiwan)
Habitat: Hardwood forests
Diet: Larvae feed in humus and other subterranean organic material; adults feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: I had difficulty finding information on the biology of this species and some of the information above is inferred from related scarabs. There are three subspecies of R. unicolor, but it has been challenging pinpointing their exact distributions. The nominate subspecies R. u. unicolor appears to live in Japan, Taiwan, and East China. The subspecies R. u. fukuena is endemic to Japan (but I couldn't access the original description to learn where in Japan, assuming it's endemic to an island or island group). The subspecies R. u. vernicata occurs in southern and southwestern China and Tibet.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Periplaneta fuliginosa (Audinet-Serville, 1839)
Common name(s): smokybrown cockroach

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series/Collections: Capsule Q Museum - Sanitary Insect Pest Exhibition and Sticky Tack Insect Set
Years of Production: 2015; 2016
Size/Scale: Body length (excl. appendages) of adult approx. 4.2 cm for a scale of 1.3:1-1.2:1. Body length (excl. appendages) of nymph approx. 2.5 cm and is in relative scale with adult depending on which instar it represents (see below).
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The adult was produced in 2015 for the Sanitary Insect Pest Exhibition collection; minimal assembly is required. The nymph was produced in 2016 for the Sticky Tack Insect Set. Based on the color, the nymph appears to be a later instar and is probably within scale with the adult.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Nearly worldwide in tropical and subtropical areas. Believed native to Africa, it has been spread nearly worldwide via commerce and is considered peridomestic in the United States (Southeast, Gulf Coast areas), parts of South America, Mediterranean Europe, eastern Australia, Southeast Asia, and Japan.
Habitat: Woodlands; usually in leaf litter, rotting logs, tree holes. In established areas, often found in and around human habitations, including wood piles, sewers, garages, crawl spaces, attics, greenhouses, rain gutters, restaurants, hospitals
Diet: Decaying vegetation, animal dung, human refuse
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: People can develop sensitivities to synanthropic insects that commonly reside indoors. The prevalence of cockroach-specific IgE (the antibody class usually involved in allergic reactions) is second only to those of house dust mites. The primary allergic component of P. fuliginosa (and other roaches) is trypomyosin, which is an important component of their muscular system which works in conjunction with troponin to regulate muscle contraction.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Lophotus capellei Temminck & Schlegel, 1845
Common name(s): North Pacific crestfish; unicornfish

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series/Collection: Chocoegg Animatales Series 3
Year of Production: 2000
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 8.5 cm for a scale of 1:23.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Chocoegg figures, assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Tropical and subtropical Pacific and Atlantic Oceans
Habitat: Bathypelagic
Diet: Small fish, marine invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Lophotus capellei is considered a deep water fish, but the data on how far down it lives is all over the map. I've seen maximum depths of 100 (Wikipedia), 200 (Taiwan Fish Database), 300 (Fishes of Australia), and even as far down as 1,100 meters (GBIF). The bathypelagic zone extends 1,000-4,000 beneath the surface of the ocean so the GBIF data may be closer to where the fish normally occurs.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Asio clamator (Vieillot, 1808)
Common name(s): striped owl

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series/Collection: Capsule Q Museum - Fortune Owl Collection 2
Year of Production: 2015
Size/Scale: Scale difficult to calculate due to the posture, but body length approx. 5.3 cm for a scale of 1:5.7-1:7.2
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare (possibly unique as a sculpt)
Miscellaneous Notes: Kaiyodo reissued this figure in 2024.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central and South America, from southern Mexico to northern Argentina and Uruguay
Habitat: Canopy forest, open woodland, savanna, marshes, pastures
Diet: Primarily rodents and small birds; also other small mammals, lizards, large insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Like most owls, A. clamator is a crepuscular/nocturnal hunter. The owl employs two strategies for hunting. The most common is coursing low over open areas and then swooping down on potential prey. The other is dropping on prey from a perch, such as tree branches and roadside utility wires.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Mareca americana (Gmelin, 1789)
Common name(s): American wigeon; baldpate

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: New-Ray
Series/Collection: Wildlife Collection
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 7.0 cm for a scale of 1:6-1:8.4
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare (possibly unique as a set)
Miscellaneous Notes: This bird came in a set of three, with the other two in a floating position. The paint job on all three is rather simple. The bird is removable from its base. These birds were sold as part of New-Ray's Wildlife Collection but may have also been featured in various hunting sets.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North America to northern South America and the Caribbean. Breeding occurs in Alaska, Canada, and extreme northwestern USA, with wintering throughout western and central USA and along the East Coast, Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, and extreme northern South America. Regular vagrant to Europe.
Habitat: Breeding occurs in boreal forests and on tundra near shallow freshwater wetlands. During migration and wintering, habitats include lakes, reservoirs, slow-moving rivers, canals, coastal freshwater and brackish marshes, estuaries, saltwater bays, agricultural land, parks.
Diet: Aquatic plants, seeds, fruits, grasses, clovers, agricultural crops; during the breeding season, diet is supplemented with aquatic insects, mollusks, crustaceans
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Mareca was previously considered a subgenus of Anas, but was elevated to genus-level after molecular studies in 2009 showed Anas to be polyphyletic.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Phodopus sungorus (Pallas, 1773)
Common name(s): white winter dwarf hamster; Dzungarian hamster; Russian dwarf hamster

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series/Collection: Hamster's Lunch
Year of Production: 2002 (see below)
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 4.0 cm for a scale of 1:1.8-1:1.3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare (possibly unique as a sculpt)   
Miscellaneous Notes: Kaiyodo produced multiple versions of this sculpt. The first two came out in the original Hamster's Lunch collection in April 2002; in August 2002 version 1.5 came out with different color variations. The set was reissued in 2006 with additional accessories and then again in 2015 under the Capsule Q line. I am honestly not sure which version mine was part of. I am confident it wasn't part of the original set from April 2002 based on its color. It likely came from version 1.5 in August 2002, assuming there were no repaints in the 2006 and 2015 reissues. The hamster is removable from it's base (see inset).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central Asia; Kazakhstan and southwestern Siberia, with an isolated population in Khakassia
Habitat: Dry mountain steppe, semi-desert, meadows, wheat and alfalfa fields
Diet: Seeds, grains, other plant material
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Phodopus sungorus lives in burrows that can be up to one meter deep. Most burrows have six entrances. In the summer, the burrows are lined with moss to help keep them cool. In the winter, all but one of the entrances are closed to help maintain an internal temperature of roughly 16.7 °C (62.1 °F).

[Gwangi]

I used to have one of those as a pet. He was black with white paws and a white spot on his chest. Looked like a small black bear, very adorable. His name was Nibbler.

[bmathison1972]

I used to have one of those as a pet. He was black with white paws and a white spot on his chest. Looked like a small black bear, very adorable. His name was Nibbler.

Nibbler is an awesome name for a hamster!

[Gwangi]

I used to have one of those as a pet. He was black with white paws and a white spot on his chest. Looked like a small black bear, very adorable. His name was Nibbler.

Nibbler is an awesome name for a hamster!

And appropriate! Never could hold the little jerk, he would bite the crap out of you. Dzungarian hamsters are not as tame as golden/Syrian hamsters. But I just liked watching him do his hamster thing, I didn't care that I couldn't hold him.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Papilio memnon Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): great Mormon

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Toys Spirits
Series/Collection: Caterpillar Mascot Returns
Year of Production: 2024
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 4.7 cm for a scale of 1:1.2-1:1.3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen P. memnon in the Museum; the last time was a figure by Bandai which at the time was still unique for the species. Caterpillars in Toys Spirits' Caterpillar Mascot collections are 'soft and squishy' and quite stylized, but offer a few rare and presumably unique species!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East and Southeast Asia, Japan
Habitat: Forests, forest clearings, citrus orchards, gardens
Diet: Larvae feed on Citrus; adults take nectar from a variety of flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Gravid female P. memnon lay eggs singly on Citrus host plants. The eggs mature in about three days. There are five larval instars; the first four instars mimic bird droppings. The first four instars take approximately 3, 2-3, 3, and 4 days to mature, respectively. The fifth and final instar lasts for about nine days. Pupation occurs on the side of a plant stem and lasts about ten days.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Gypaetus barbatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): bearded vulture; lammergeier; ossifrage

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series/Collection: Wings of the World
Year of Production: 2024
Size/Scale: Wingspan approx. 14.0 cm for a scale of 1:16.5-1:20.2
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Previous versions of this species were produced by Bullyland (2011) and K&M International (tube; 2000).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Scattered mountain ranges in Mediterranean Europe (Pyrenees, Alps, Sierras de Cazorla, Sierra de Segura, Penyagolosa), Africa (Atlas Mountains, Ethiopian Highlands, Drakensberg), West Asia (Zagros Mountains, Alborz Mountains), and Central Asia (Koh-i-Baba, Altai Mountains, Himalayas, Mongolian Plateau)
Habitat: Mountains, cliffs, precipices, gorges; usually above 2,000 meters (range 300-4,500 meters)
Diet: Carrion; 85-90% of its nutrition comes from bones and bone marrow rather than flesh. Occasionally also live prey and human refuse.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Gypaetus barbatus is the only extant bird that specialized on bone and bone marrow. The bearded vulture will swallow whole small bones or bite through brittle bones. For bones too large to be swallowed, the bird has learned to crack open the bones by carrying them in flight and dropping them on rocks from a height of 50-150 meters! They can fly with bones nearly as heavy as the birds themselves! Bearded vultures have a flexible esophagus that allows them to swallow large bones and an extremely acidic stomach acid which allows them to digest the bones. On occasion, bearded cultures will hunt live prey, including tortoises, lizards, hyraxes, and rodents, and also drop them from flight off of cliffs and precipices. They have also been known to drive ungulates off of cliff edges.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Saturnia pyri (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)
Common name(s): giant peacock moth; great peacock moth; giant emperor moth; Viennese emperor

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Paleo-Creatures
Series/Collection: Little Treasures of Europe
Year of Production: 2015
Size/Scale: Wingspan approx. 7.0 cm for a scale of 1:1.2-1:2.4
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was produced by forum member Jetoar for his short-lived Little Treasures of Europe line of Paleo-Creatures. It represents the second species of Saturnia seen in the Museum.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central and southern Europe and North Africa east to Central Asia (southern Kyrgyzstan)
Habitat: Slopes, hillsides, open scrubland, tree orchards; usually in hot, dry regions
Diet: Larvae feed on plants in the family Rosaceae, notably Pyrus (pear), Prunus (plums, cherries, etc.), and Crategus (hawthorn); adults do not feed.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: With a wingspan reaching nearly 17 cm, S. pyri is the largest species of moth, or lepidopteran in general, in Europe!

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Tlatolophus galorum Ramírez-Velasco et al., 2021

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Haolonggood
Series/Collection: 1:35 Science and Art Model
Year of Production: 2023
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 22.5 cm for a scale of 1:35.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare   
Miscellaneous Notes: Only formally described in 2021, it didn't take Haolonggood long to introduce the world to a model of this species! Like all Haolonggood figures, this Tlatolophus came in two colors, red (as shown here) and green. The only other figures of this species I could find are a pair by Ancestors but I am not entirely certain they were ever released?

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of present-day Mexico
Habitat: Semi-arid open woodlands and adjacent riparian areas
Diet: Plants
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: One of the most exciting things about Tlatolophus is that it was discovered with a nearly-complete skull, leaving us little doubt how the head of the animal may have likely looked!

[bmathison1972]

Species: Cicindela campestris Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): green tiger beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Paleo-Creatures
Series/Collection: Little Treasures of Europe
Year of Production: 2015
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 3.7 cm for a scale of 3.1:1-2.2:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen C. campestris in the Museum. Today's figure was made by forum member Jetoar for the Little Treasures of Europe line of Paleo-Creatures. The species has also been made by Wing Mau.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Europe
Habitat: Heathland, dunes, sandy grassland, moorland, hillsides, roadsides; usually in open areas with dry sandy or chalky soil
Diet: Terrestrial arthropods
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Both adults and larvae of C. campestris are voracious predators. Larvae live in burrows with their heads flush with the ground and are ambush predators of insects and other terrestrial arthropods passing by. Adults are very active, running and darting with short bursts of flight while chasing prey, usually in areas of bright sunlight. Like other tiger beetles, C. campestris is very fast and has been reported at speeds of 60 cm/sec. Tiger beetles' speed makes them challenging for insect collectors to catch!

[bmathison1972]

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

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: K&M International
Series/Collection: North American Insects
Year of Production: 1998
Size/Scale: Body length (incl. mandibles) approx. 5.5 cm, within scale 1:1 for a moderate-sized specimen or 1:1.1 for a maximum-sized major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen L. elaphus in the Museum. I have seen this figured advertised as being part of a set called North American Insects on Wing Mau's website (Wing Mau produced figures for companies like Club Earth, Play Visions, and K&M in the 1990s) and I have also seen as part of K&M's 'Bulk' series. I am not sure if the components of the two sets are the same.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eastern North America
Habitat: Hardwood forests, parks, suburban neighborhoods, 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: At nearly 6.0 cm in total length, major male L. elaphus are the largest stag beetles in North America.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Ornithoptera paradisea Staudinger, 1893
Common name(s): paradise birdwing

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: K&M International
Series/Collection: Wild Republic - Butterflies Nature Tube
Year of Production: 2004
Size/Scale: Wingspan approx. 6.0 for a scale of 1:2.3-1:3.2
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
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. The identification of O. paradisea here is based on wing shape; however, the color seems to have been influenced by O. euphorion. Such mix-ups were not uncommon in butterfly figures from the 1990s and early 2000s. Several of the sculpts (and in some cases paint style) from this collection were also used by Safari Ltd., Insect Lore, and others.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: New Guinea
Habitat: Montane and lowland primary rainforest
Diet: Larvae feed on plants in the genus Pararistolochia (pipevine); adults take nectar from flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Ornithoptera paradisea has marked sexual dimorphism. Males have tapered tails on their hind wings and are colored yellow-green and black dorsally. Females are larger, lack tails on the hind wings, and are dark brown with black and white markings dorsally.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Deinotherium giganteum Kaup, 1829

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Mojö Fun
Series/Collection: Prehistoric
Year of Production: 2013
Size/Scale: Height at shoulder approx. 11.0 cm for a scale of 1:33.0-1:36.4
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: I believe this figure was reissued in 2018 with a slightly different paint job; I'm pretty sure mine represents the original 2013 version, even though it was purchased in late 2018 or 2019. Mojö Fun did not market this model at the species level. Generally, unless there is evidence to the contrary, I assume a prehistoric figure marketed at the genus level only represents the type species.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Middle Miocene to Early Pliocene of Europe
Habitat: Open woodlands
Diet: Plants; probably a browser of tree leaves
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Deinotherium is known for its short, backwards bending tusks. The tusks are not associated with sexual dimorphism, so it is believed their function is involved with feeding. Presumably a browser of leaves on high trees, the tusks may have been used for removing or pushing aside branches that would have obstructed feeding efforts.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Allotopus rosenbergi (Snellen van Vollenvoven in Parry, 1872)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bandai
Series/Collection: Diversity of Life on Earth - Mini Insects Vol. 3
Year of Production: 2023
Size/Scale: Body length (incl. mandibles) approx. 5.5 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the eighth time we've seen A. rosenbergi in the Museum. Some assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae breed in decaying wood infested with specific fungi; adults presumably feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: I had trouble researching information on the biology of this species. Allotopus rosenbergi is popular with collectors, breeders, and Japanese toy insect manufacturers. Captive breeding is challenging as larvae require wood infected with particular white kinshi fungi.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Vespa crabro Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): European hornet

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bandai
Series/Collection: Diversity of Life on Earth - Hornets Vol. 2
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Wingspan (as displayed here) approx. 14.5 cm. Forewing length approx. 6.5 cm for a scale of 4:1-3.5:1 for a worker.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Presumably unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Assembly is required and the final product is large and articulated.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eurasia; introduced to North America and Guatemala
Habitat: Woodlands and suburban parks, gardens, neighborhoods; nests are constructed in hollow trees and in human structures such as attics
Diet: Larvae are feed insects provisioned by adults; adults eat insects, fallen fruit, and tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting):
Miscellaneous Notes: The venom of V. crabro contains neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, histamine and noradrenaline neurotoxin apamin, as well as enzymes phospholipase A and hyaluronidase, and proteins melittin and bradykinin. These compounds are known to cause tachycardia in smaller animals, but generally stings by the European hornet do not require medical attention. Typical symptoms include tingling at the site of the sting, hedaches, and shortness of breath. There have been a couple cases of people experiencing atrial fibrillation.