Mathison Museum of Natural History

[bmathison1972]

With today's post being the 150th, I thought I would do a fun stats update

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: 58.2%/58.0%
Mammals: 13.3%/13.3%
Fish: 8.3%/10.7%
Birds: 7.0%/6.0%
non-Arthropod Invertebrates: 4.1%/4.0%
Reptiles: 3.7%/4.0%
Amphibians: 2.5%/0.7%
Dinosaurs: 2.0%/3.3%
Protozoans/Plankton: 0.9%/0%

Notes: A few of the categories are smoothing out nicely. It goes to show that the more representatives you have, the better the chances of a figure within a category coming up as expected. Fish are still overperforming a little and birds underperforming, but not as drastic as before. Amphibians seems to be the category that is the farthest off of what is to be expected and we still haven't seen a protozoan/plankton yet.

Now, within Arthropods:
Insects: 71.7%/72.4%
Crustaceans: 13.6%/17.2%
Arachnids: 10.3%/8.0%
Misc. Arthropods: 4.4%/2.3%

Notes: Crustaceans are overperforming at the expense of arachnids and miscellanous arthropods

There is one caveat that will affect percentages, ever so slightly (and mostly with regards to the arthropods), and that is posts that remove two or more figures from the database (e.g., male and female figures 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: 131*
Three figures: 9
Four figures: 2
Five figures: 1
*we have seen two figures covered 15 times

Now, some interesting numbers and tidbits of information:

Species that have come up more than once: Allomyrina dichotoma (2), Bathynomus giganteus (2), Danaus plexippus (2), Dynastes grantii (2), Dynastes neptunus (2), Latrodectus mactans (2), Lucanus maculifemoratus (2), Macrocheira kaempferi (2), Mesotopus tarandus (2), Prosopocoilus giraffa (2), Prosopocoilus inclinatus (2).

Genera with more than one species: Dynastes (3), Eupatorus (2), Lamprima (2), Lucanus (2), Megasoma (2), Morpho (3), Myotis (2), Prosopocilus (4), Zerene (2).

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), Vespa (17 figures representing 6 species).

Here are a list of companies (alphabetical order) and how many have come up in each:

4D Master  2
AAA  1
AquaKitz  1
Arboreum Artwork  2
Bandai/Bandai Spirits 3
Blip Toys  1
Bullyland  2
Cadbury/Yowie Group 7
Club Earth 2
CollectA  8
Coca Cola 1
Colorata  5
DeAgostini 4
Eikoh   1
Epoch   3
F-toys   1
Ikimon/Kitan Club  6
Jam  1
K&M International  2
Kabaya   3
Kaiyodo/Furuta   23
Koro Koro  1
Natural History   1
Noah's Pals  1
Paleocasts  1
Paleo-Creatures   3
Papo  2
Play Visions  5
Safari Ltd.  23
Sasto 3D File  1
Sega  7
Stewart Sales Services   1
Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.  6
Toy Fish Factory/Replica Toy Fish  3
Toy Major  1
Trilobiti  1
US Toy   1
Wild Kraatz  2
Wing Mau  4
Yujin   6
unknown   1

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

Anyway, we'll look at stats again after post 200!! Until then, enjoy the posts!

[bmathison1972]

Species: Dendrochirus zebra (Cuvier, 1829) (zebra lionfish; zebra turkeyfish)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Colorata
Series: Coral Reef Fish
Year of Release: 2015
Size/Scale: Body length 4.0 cm for a scale of 1:6.25 for a maximum-sized specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The figure comes attached to a habitat-style base with an acrylic rod, from which it is removeable.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-West Pacific, from the Red Sea to Indonesia and Australia, north to Japan
Habitat: Coral reefs, usually in rocky areas at a depth of 3-80 meters
Diet: Fish, crustaceans
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: While generally a peaceful species, D. zebra has 13 venomous spines along its dorsal fin it uses to defend itself against would-be predators.

[JimoAi]

Species: Dendrochirus zebra (Cuvier, 1829) (zebra lionfish; zebra turkeyfish)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Colorata
Series: Coral Reef Fish
Year of Release: 2015
Size/Scale: Body length 4.0 cm for a scale of 1:6.25 for a maximum-sized specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The figure comes attached to a habitat-style base with an acrylic rod, from which it is removeable.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-West Pacific, from the Red Sea to Indonesia and Australia, north to Japan
Habitat: Coral reefs, usually in rocky areas at a depth of 3-80 meters
Diet: Fish, crustaceans
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: While generally a peaceful species, D. zebra has 13 venomous spines along its dorsal fin it uses to defend itself against would-be predators.

Glad they did not go with the typical Luna lionfish

[bmathison1972]

Species: Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758 (western honey bee)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bullyland
Series: Small Insects and Spiders Collection
Year of Release: 1998
Size/Scale: Worker (center): body length 2.5 cm, for a scale of 2:1-1.5:1. Drone (upper left): body length 2.7 cm for a scale of 2.5:1-2:1. Queen (upper right): body length 3.4 cm for a scale of 1.8:1-1.5:1.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common (see below)
Miscellaneous Notes: Bee figures are very common; nearly every 'bin-set' of insects has one, and while they are probably intended to represent A. mellifera, few figures are specifically marketed as honey bees. These three Bullyland figures have long been retired, but just recently in late 2020, Papo released a nice one (which, coincidentally, will be my next Blog post this weekend or early next week).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Believed native to Africa and/or Central Asia, with natural spread throughout Africa and Europe; introduced to the Western Hemisphere, Australia, New Zealand, and East Asia by humans for honey production
Habitat: Highly varied; anywhere with suitable hive-building sites and flowers for food source.
Diet: Larvae are fed pollen by the adults; adults eat nectar and pollen
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Data Deficient
Miscellaneous Notes: Honey bees live is large eusocial colonies that are perennial, meaning they persist year after year. The complexities of the colony are too great for a brief description here, but in general a colony consists of a single queen, several drones, and many workers. The queen lays all the eggs for the colony. New, virgin, females will produce male offspring (drones), but she must mate with another male to produce female offspring (workers). The drones' sole purpose is to mate with the queen and produce workers; they do not forage for nectar or pollen. The workers are sterile females that are responsible for maintaining the colony, gathering nectar and pollen, and caring for offspring.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Pandinus imperator (Koch, 1842) (emperor scorpion)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: K&M International
Series: Wild Republic Venomous Adventures Nature Tube
Year of Release: 1998
Size/Scale: Total figure length 9.7 cm. Body length 10.3 cm for a scale of roughly 1:2
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: Pandinus imperator appears to be the go-to scorpion species for companies to produce. They are even common in sets specializing in venomous creatures, such as this one, which is odd because P. imperator is only mildly venomous to humans. Note that this particular figure is sculpted missing a pair of legs!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Africa
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Insects and other arthropods; occasionally small vertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Pandinus imperator is one of the largest species of scorpion, averaging 20 cm in length and can weigh more than 28 g. Because of its large size, fearsome appearance, longer lifespan, less-deadly venom, and docile nature, it is very popular in the pet trade.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Odontolabis burmeisteri (Hope, 1841)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: unknown
Year of Release: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length 3.0 cm for a scale of 1:3 for a large specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure comes from an unknown set of miniatures produced by Sega. It was gifted to me by forum member Beetle guy, and I have no idea when it came out or what the set consisted of. I have a couple species in a similar size that are presumably from the same collection. I currently have six specimens of O. burmeisteri and all but one of them were produced by Sega.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: India
Habitat: Broadleaf forests
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting wood; adults feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: I had a difficult time researching information on this species; some of the information above was extrapolated from other members of the genus.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Holconia immanis (Koch, 1867) (giant Sydney huntsman spider)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Science & Nature
Series: Animals of Australia - Small
Year of Release: 2005
Size/Scale: Figure legspan 10.2 cm. Body length 4.0 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Such a fantastic model of a unique species; however, like so many spider figures it suffers from an incorrect number and arrangement of eyes (and given the size of the figure and the eye arrangement in sparassids, it should not have been difficult to capture properly here...).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eastern Australia
Habitat: Open forest, disturbed areas, buildings and houses
Diet: Insects and other arthropods
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: A nocturnal hunter, H. immanis can walk vertically on walls and glass, and even upside-down on ceilings. It can deliver a painful bite if aggravated, but it is not venomous to people.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Zootermopsis angusticollis (Hagen, 1858) (Pacific dampwood termite)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Club Earth
Series: Ants and Termites
Year of Release: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 5.5 cm for a scale of 2.75:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Termites are very rare in toy form and not usually identified to the species level. The figures in Club Earth's Ants and Termites collection are stamped with the common English name on the underside (as are most CE figures). This figure is stamped 'Pacific Coast termite' and is most-certainly intended to represent the Pacific dampwood termite, Zootermopsis angusticollis.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Coast of North America, from British Columbia to Baja California
Habitat: Forests, disturbed areas, buildings and houses; will nest in most any wood type, including fallen trees and timber, especially those in contact with soil, and is tolerant of damp wood.
Diet: Rotten wood (aided by symbiotic protozoans and bacteria); will also cannibalize injured members of their own colony or members of rival colonies within the same substrate.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: While they prefer dead, rotting fallen trees, Z. angusticollis will attack lumber and homes, especially if the wood is rotting due to water damage. Zootermopsis angusticollis can spread wood decay fungi by carrying fungal spores to new sites.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Lamprima adolphinae (Gestro, 1875) (green stag beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: F-toys
Series: Encyclopedia of Insects Vol. 3
Year of Release: 2008 and 2009
Size/Scale: Male: body length (including mandibles) 4.0 cm. Female: body length (including mandibles) 2.8 cm. Both within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is our second look at L. adolphinae in the Museum. The two males were part of the main set released in 2008. However, the three females were special 'chase' figures sold a year later (2009). The females were only sold by phone in Japan. If you purchased the main set, there was a phone number on the box. You called the number and ordered the set over the phone, and then they would be shipped to you. I think there was a limited number of sets (200? @Beetle guy can correct me if I am wrong). Figures in this set have become quite rare, the females particularly so!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: New Guinea
Habitat: Montane rainforests
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting wood of several plants infested with fungi (white rot); adults adults feed on fruit and sap flows.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: This species is very popular with collectors and breeders, but appears to have a thriving population in nature and does not seem to be negatively affected by collecting. Despite their popularity, little is known about their natural biology.

[Beetle guy]

... the three females were special 'chase' figures. The females were only sold by phone in Japan. If you purchased the main set, there was a phone number on the box. You called the number and ordered the set over the phone, and then they would be shipped to you. I think there was a limited number of sets (200? @Beetle guy can correct me if I am wrong). Figures in this set have become quite rare, the females particularly so!

Yes, the A. dolphinae females were released in april 2009 (later than the set). Not for sale though, they could be won as set of three in a lottery. Indeed only 200 people could win it by phoning the F-Toys office. So, we both have a very rare female beetle figurine set! 

[bmathison1972]

... the three females were special 'chase' figures. The females were only sold by phone in Japan. If you purchased the main set, there was a phone number on the box. You called the number and ordered the set over the phone, and then they would be shipped to you. I think there was a limited number of sets (200? @Beetle guy can correct me if I am wrong). Figures in this set have become quite rare, the females particularly so!

Yes, the A. dolphinae females were released in april 2009 (later than the set). Not for sale though, they could be won as set of three in a lottery. Indeed only 200 people could win it by phoning the F-Toys office. So, we both have a very rare female beetle figurine set! 

Thank you! I have these because you alerted me to them

[bmathison1972]

Species: Erythrura gouldiae (Gould, 1844) (Gouldian finch; rainbow finch; Lady Gouldian finch)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Furuta
Series: Chocoegg Pet Series 2
Year of Release: 2001
Size/Scale: Figure 4.5 cm tall. Body length 7.0 cm for a scale of 1:2-1:1.8
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the earlier Chocoegg figures, some assembly is required. Furuta released at least two color variants of this sculpt, and Safari Ltd. released this species in their Incredible Creatures line.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northeastern Australia
Habitat: Grassy open woodlands
Diet: Grass seeds
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Before Australia banned exportation of its wildlife, E. gouldiae was a popular wild-caught pet and zoo animal. The last wild licensed trapping of the Gouldian finch was in the early 1980s. They are still popular pets, but are currently captive-bred rather than wild-caught.

[Lanthanotus]

And another bird figure that cries out for a partner.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Dorcus titanus sakishimanus (Nomura, 1964)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: F-toys
Series: Insect Hunter Beetle and Stag Beetle
Years of Release: 2013 and 2018
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 7.0 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare (unique as a sculpt)
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the first time we have seen the genus Dorcus in the Museum, which is somewhat surprising considering I have 58 figures representing 15 species and subspecies. The two figures today are variants on the same sculpt, released five years apart. The figure on the left with the yellow anterior margin of the pronotum is from 2013; the one on the right is from 2018. The mandibles are slightly articulated.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Sakishima Islands, Japan
Habitat: Temperate forests
Diet: Larvae develop in rotting wood; adults feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Depending on the taxonomy applied there can be upwards of 24 subspecies of Dorcus titanus, distributed throughout Southeast Asia (I have figures of five of them). The subspecies D. t. sakishimanus is endemic to the Sakishima Archipelago in Japan.

[Halichoeres]

A termite! That's very cool. This is why I can never start an extant collection--I wouldn't be able to rest until I had oddballs like that termite.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Mesotopus tarandus (Swederus, 1787)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: F-toys
Series: Encyclopedia of Insects Vol. 3
Year of Release: 2008
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 6.0 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: The first species to appear in the Museum for a third time (and interestingly our third F-toys post in four days)! This is also one of the most realistic exemplars of the species.

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: Commonly called the 'African Demon', M. tarandus is one of the largest stag beetles in Africa. That is probably why it is the only African species routinely made by Japanese companies.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Semibalanus cariosus (Pallas, 1788) (thatched barnacle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kitan Club
Series: Nature Techni Colour - Barnacles
Year of Release: 2012
Size/Scale: Small figure 1.5 cm in diameter. Larger figure 2.3 cm in diameter. Both figures could be 1:1 for small specimens; large figure 1:2.5 for a large specimen.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique [as a pair]
Miscellaneous Notes: Most of the figures in the Barnacles collection were magnets, strap figures, or pins. These two have non-obtrusive magnets on the underside.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North Pacific, from Japan to the Bering Sea, to Baja California
Habitat: Intertidal and subtidal zones, usually attached to rocks, pilings, and other man-made structures.
Diet: Plankton and detritus that drift within reach
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Semibalanus cariosus can grow individually or in large colonies. When colonies get dense, which is common in populations in the Pacific Northwest, the barnacles tend to grow tall and narrow, and their characteristic thatched appearance becomes less obvious.

[Lanthanotus]

That surely ranks amongst the most unusual toy animal. Shows that you take the "synoptic" really serious,
I personally would just count the CollectA or Mojo Grey Whale "double" in my species count

[bmathison1972]

That surely ranks amongst the most unusual toy animal. Shows that you take the "synoptic" really serious,
I personally would just count the CollectA or Mojo Grey Whale "double" in my species count

If you are referring to the barnacles, my collection is not synoptic for arthropods ;-)

[bmathison1972]

Species: Androctonus australis (Linnaeus, 1758) (yellow fat-tailed scorpion)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.
Series: Scorpions
Year of Release: 2012
Size/Scale: Base 5.0 cm long. Body length 5.2 cm for a scale of approximately 1:2
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: The figure sits loosely on its habitat-style base (although I have glued mine to its base to make a permanent diorama). The figure also comes with a flat, round, amber-colored base (not shown here) with the Latin name, Japanese name, and degree of toxicity.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northern and northeastern Africa, Middle East, Central Asia
Habitat: Deserts
Diet: Insects and other arachnids
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Androctonus australis typically does not burrow into the sand, and is able to withstand severe desert windstorms due to the microsculpture of its exoskeleton.