Mathison Museum of Natural History

[Isidro]

It will be corroboree frog??

[bmathison1972]

Very good, @Isidro !!

Species: Pseudophryne corroboree Moore, 1953
Common name(s): southern corroboree frog

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Play Visions
Series/Collection: Toads
Year of Production: 1996
Size/Scale: Snout-to-vent length approx. 3.7 cm for a scale of 1.7:1-1.2:1 depending on the sex
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon to rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Other figures have been produced by Yujin, Science and Nature, and Cadbury, for both the UK and Australian Yowies.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeastern Australia; endemic to Kosciusko National Park in the Snowy Mountains
Habitat: Alpine sphagnum and heath bogs; usually under rocks and logs or among vegetation
Diet: Insects, especially ants and termites
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Critically Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Living in a very geographically restricted area and in a delicate habitat, it is no surprise P. corroboree is Critically Endangered due to habitat loss. Five breeding enclosures have been established in Kosciusko National Park but unfortunately two-thirds of those perished in the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires. In 2022 approximately 100 frogs were released into the wild from captive breeding programs, but their current fate is unknown. There are multiple captive breeding programs and it is estimated there are over 400 frogs in zoos.



Clue for tomorrow's species:
In 2021, the European Food Safety Agency published an opinion that the consumption of this insect frozen, dried, or in a ground state is safe for human consumption. Also in 2021, the EU Commission authorized placing it on the market as novel food.

[sbell]

Must be the good ol' feeder cricket!

[Gwangi]

Must be the good ol' feeder cricket!

That's my guess as well.

[bmathison1972]

You were in the right ballpark guys, but not quite the right species!


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

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Furuta
Series/Collection: Insect Science
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (incl. wings; excl. appendages) approx. 4.0 cm, within scale 1:1 for a smaller specimen or up to 1:1.4 for a maximum-sized specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the eighth time we've seen L. migratoria in the Museum. Figures in the Insect Science collection came in pairs, apparently representing biological concepts. Today's L. migratoria was paired with Japanese giant mantis (Tenodera aridifolia), suggesting the pair represented a predator-prey relationship (either that or they're a pair of orthopteroids).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Much of the Old World, including much of Africa (outside of the Sahara Desert), Europe, Asia (incl. Japan), northern Australia, New Zealand
Habitat: Highly variable, including lowland forests, river deltas, grasslands, deserts, disturbed areas, agricultural fields; usually in open areas
Diet: Grasses
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: The term 'locust' is not a taxonomic designation and other acridid grasshoppers that display gregarious and migratory behavior may be called locusts. In the United States, cicadas (which are members of the order Hemiptera) are locally referred to as locusts, probably due to the large swarms of periodical cicadas (Magicicada) that emerge every 13 or 17 years.



Clue for tomorrow's species:
This bouquet of the blue is very toxic to eat, even after cooking. It gets the toxins from symbiotic bacteria in the genus Vibrio.

[sbell]

Is tomorrow mussels? Or something like that?

[bmathison1972]

Is tomorrow mussels? Or something like that?

It's not a mollusk but it is an invertebrate 

[sbell]

Is tomorrow mussels? Or something like that?

It's not a mollusk but it is an invertebrate 

I'm trying to think of blue marine things that people might eat. Once.

[bmathison1972]

.....things that people might eat. Once.

          

[Isidro]

Portuguese man-o'war?

[sbell]

The Vibrio part is throwing me.

The bobtail squid juvenile has a symbiotic relationship but it's still a mollusc.

And bouquet...makes me think of a coral or bryozoans but again, who eats those?

[stargatedalek]

I was initially thinking that there are barnacles that can carry dangerous bacteria, and a stalked barnacle could fit bouquet, but the bacteria isn't symbiotic as far as I know...

Hawaiian bobtail squid do have a symbiotic Vibrio bacteria, but it's bio-luminescent, I've not heard of it being used for defensive toxicity.

Vibrio can be infectious, but I've never heard of any of them being toxic. So consider me thoroughly stumped.

[bmathison1972]

I was initially thinking that there are barnacles that can carry dangerous bacteria, and a stalked barnacle could fit bouquet, but the bacteria isn't symbiotic as far as I know...

Hawaiian bobtail squid do have a symbiotic Vibrio bacteria, but it's bio-luminescent, I've not heard of it being used for defensive toxicity.

Vibrio can be infectious, but I've never heard of any of them being toxic. So consider me thoroughly stumped.

Vibrio produces toxins. The clinical manifestations of most bacterial diseases is caused by the host/patient's response to toxins produced by the bacterium.

[stargatedalek]

Interesting, I was under the impression it was a necrotizing infectious parasitic bacteria like Streptococcus that literally eats the host.

[bmathison1972]

Interesting, I was under the impression it was a necrotizing infectious parasitic bacteria like Streptococcus that literally eats the host.

It differs from disease to disease; in the case of necrotizing fasciitis, toxins and other enzymes that are a metabolic byproduct of the bacteria's metabolism, breakdown fats, tissues, etc. leading to necrosis. The bacteria isn't 'eating' the host (at least not in the way we understand ingestion).

[bmathison1972]

OK, this may have been one of the more challenging clues. 'Bouquet of the blue' was the best alliteration I could come up with; 'bouquet' referring to 'floral' in the animal's common name and 'blue' referring to the ocean in which it lives.

Species: Atergatis floridus (Linnaeus, 1767)
Common name(s): floral egg crab; green egg crab; pancake crab; shawl crab

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Epoch
Series/Collection: The Poison
Year of Release: unknown
Size/Scale: Carapace width approx. 3.5 cm for a scale of 1:2.3-1:3.4
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen A. floridus in the Museum. Assembly is not required, but the crab comes with fish carrion as an accessory.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-Pacific
Habitat: Coral reefs, usually on fringing reefs at depths of 0-6 meters
Diet: Scavenger on algae, animal material
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Atergatis floridus is toxic to eat, due to toxins (tetrodotoxin and gonyautoxin 1-4) produced by symbiotic bacteria in the genus Vibrio.



Clue for tomorrow's species:
This imperial insect is endemic to the Philippines and Malaysia [sorry, this is an esoteric one]

[bmathison1972]

Species: Odontolabis imperialis Mollenkamp, 1904

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series/Collection: Mushi King - small series, standard
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Length (incl. mandibles) approx. 5.0 cm for a scale of 1:1.2 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Presumably unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The Sega 'small standard series' were 10 sets of 10 figures each, for a total of 100 figures representing 65-75 species of Lucanidae and dynastine Scarabaeidae. The dates of release are currently unknown to me (c. 2008). The figures were produced in conjunction with Bandai and came with Pokemon-style playing cards. At the time of this writing, I think I have all but two of the species. For a review of the sets, please see the overview by forum member Beetle guy here. I cannot remember offhand if this species appears in other Sega Mushi King collections, but wouldn't be surprised if it did. I had difficulty finding metrics to calculate scale and the scale above is based on a length of 6.0 cm, which is considered 'large' based on collectors and dealers selling specimens online.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Philippines and Malaysian Borneo
Habitat: Broadleaf rainforest
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting wood; adults feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: I had difficulty researching information on this beetle and some of the information above is based on other members of the genus, all 60+ of which are endemic to Southeast Asia. There are two subspecies of O. imperialis; the nominate form O. i. imperialis occurs in the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah on Borneo and O. i. komorii occurs in the Philippines.



Clue for tomorrow's species:
This gracile gruid is one of the rarest of its kind and in Asian cultures often represents longevity, immortality, purity, and peace.

[Isidro]

Must be red-crowned, no other crane have such cultural importance. And Kaiyodo choco-egg one I guess

[bmathison1972]

Correct species @Isidro (and company; not series but that's OK - the clues are for the species only)


Species: Grus japonensis (Müller, 1776)
Common name(s): red-crowned crane; Manchurian crane

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series/Collection: Natural Monuments of Japan
Year of Production: 2002
Size/Scale: Body length difficult to measure because of the animal's pose. Using exposed culmen as a metric (n=0.8 cm), scale comes to approx. 1:15-1:20
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon to rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Some assembly is required and the bird's feet are permanently affixed to the base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Asia; northern Japan (Hokkaido), northeast China, extreme eastern Mongolia and southeast Russia, wintering in central-eastern China and the Korean Peninsula
Habitat: Breeding sites are in wetlands, marshes, bogs, wet meadows, and along rivers; wintering sites include rice paddies, grassy tidal flats, coastal saltmarshes, mudflats
Diet: General omnivore, including fish, aquatic invertebrates, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, reeds, grasses, berries; winter diet shifts to rice and grain crops
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Grus japonensis is monogamous and mates for life. Breeding takes place in the spring, with eggs laid in April, sometimes May. Nests are made of grass in reeds, usually in water up to 50 cm deep! The reeds themselves must be 30-200 cm tall. Usually two eggs are laid, with incubation lasting 29-34 days. Chicks fledge in about 95 days and reach sexual maturity in 3-4 years.



Clue for tomorrow's species:
The undersides of the wings of this noble Neotropical nymphalid resemble dead leaves, as a form of camouflage.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Fountainea nobilis (Bates, 1884)
Common name(s): noble leafwing

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Innovative Kids
Series/Collection: Junior Groovies - Butterflies
Year of Production: 2016
Size/Scale: Wingspan approx. 7.0 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other Innovative Kids products, the Junior Groovies collections came with educational books, in this case being aimed at children. Species in the collection were selected to educate the audience on a specific butterfly habit or behavior. The noble leafwing was selected to introduce the reader to the concept of camouflage (see below).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central and South America, from Mexico (Oaxaca and Chiapas) to northern Peru
Habitat: Tropical broadleaf cloud forests
Diet: Larvae feed on plants in the genus Croton; adults take nutrients from mud puddles and damp soil
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like those of other leafwings, the underside of the wings of F. nobilis are colored to look like dead leaves, allowing the butterfly to camouflage itself when it comes to the forest floor to feed.



Clue for tomorrow's species:
Males of this Mediterranean musician sing after spending up to five years underground.