Mathison Museum of Natural History

[bmathison1972]

Species: Homoderus mellyi Parry, 1862

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King, standard series, small
Year of Release: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 4.4 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The Sega 'small standard series' were 10 sets of 10 figures each, for a total of 100 figures representing roughly 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 here.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Equatorial Africa, including Cameroon, DRC, Uganda
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Presumed larvae breed in decaying wood and/or human; adults attracted to sap flows
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: I had trouble finding information on the natural biology of this species. It is commercially bred in Cameroon for the collecting trade and are popular with breeders in terraria.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Oncorhynchus keta (Walbaum, 1792) (chum salmon)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Freshwater Fish Pictorial Book 1
Year of Release: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length 7.0 cm long, for a scale of approximately 1:8-1:10
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Yujin released their Freshwater Fish collections at least twice (not including the combined box set); I believe this figure is from the first release. Minimal assembly is required and the figure is removable from its base. Other than the Yujin releases, the only figure of O. keta I am immediately aware of is by Colorata.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North Pacific, from Sea of Japan north to Bering Sea in the west and Alaska to southern California in the east.
Habitat: Benthopelagic, migrating up freshwater rivers to spawn
Diet: Juveniles eat aquatic invertebrates; adults eat smaller fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: When eating undercooked or otherwise improperly prepared O. keta, humans are at risk of acquiring zoonotic helminth infections, including Dibothriocephalus nihonkaiensis and anisakid nematodes.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Hister quadrimaculatus Linnaeus, 1758

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Wing Mau
Series: Insects
Year of Release: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length 4.2 cm for a scale of approximately 4:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The Wing Mau Insects collection consists of 24 figures representing 23 species of beetles (there are two color variants of Adalia bipunctata). The figures have the Latin name printed on the underside. The figures seem to have been influenced by an Italian poster, Beetles, from 1992, as all the species are represented in that poster (including both variants of Adalia bipunctata) and have the same Latin names assigned to them (this poster hangs in my office; I've had it since 1995). These figures also appear in 1998 catalogue by Play Visions, emphasizing the relationships between these companies. Most of the species in this Wing Mau collection are unique as toys; I recently completed the set with help of STS forum member NMR_Okapi.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Europe
Habitat: Fields, forests, pastures; in dung, carrion, and rotting vegetation
Diet: Soft-bodied invertebrates.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Hister quadrimaculatus is attracted to decaying substrates and feeds on soft-bodied invertebrates that live therein, especially fly larvae. Female beetles lay their eggs in the same substrate and their larvae feed on fly eggs and pupae.

[Isidro]

It's somewhat surprising to find that histerid beetles have been made into figurine, as it's a family always neglected for beetle enthusiasts. Hister quadrimaculatus is a species I only saw once in my life and it was in July of the year 2000.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Alopias pelagicus Nakamura, 1935 (pelagic thresher shark)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Sealife
Year of Release: 2014
Size/Scale: Body length 17.0 cm for a scale of 1:17-1:20
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Safari only marketed this figure at the genus level, but the general consensus among collectors is that it is intended to represent A. pelagicus (and I agree with that assessment). I was surprised how few thresher shark figures there are; I would have expected it to be a go-to species. On forum walkarounds and blog reviews, others have noted minor anatomical inaccuracies in this figure, including the lack of nostrils and the lack of a second dorsal fin.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Temperate, subtropical, and tropical Pacific Ocean
Habitat: Pelagic, at depths of 0-300 meters (usually 0-150 meters)
Diet: Fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: The true distribution of A. pelagicus is not known, because of historic confusion with the common thresher shark, A. vulpinus.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Dugong dugon (Müller, 1776) (dugong)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Sealife
Year of Release: 2016
Size/Scale: Body length 14 cm for a scale of 1:17-1:28
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: A fantastic figure in itself, it is really the only option right now for a standard-sized model. Most figures made of this species, at least those readily available, are smaller and by Japanese companies.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Coastal Indo-Pacific, from East Africa and the Persian Gulf to Australia, Vanuatu, and Japan
Habitat: Benthopelagic, at depths of 0-40 meters (usually 1-10 meters)
Diet: Seagrass, particularly of the genera Halophila and Halodule.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Dugong dugon is long-lived; adults in the wild can live for up to 70-73 years. On average, females reach sexual maturity at about age 6 and have their first calf between 6 and 17 years of age, with additional calves every 2.5-7 years.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Ornithoptera goliath Oberthür, 1888 (Goliath birdwing)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kabaya
Series: World Insect Series 1
Year of Release: 2002
Size/Scale: Wingspan 7.5 cm for a scale of about 1:2 for a male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the first time we have seen Ornithoptera in the Museum; this is one of five species I have in the genus. Today's figure is removable from its acrylic black base, but it leave two tall pegs on the underside.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: New Guinea and adjacent smaller islands
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae feed on Aristolochia (pipevines); adults feed on nectar from flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Ornithoptera goliath exhibits marked sexual dimorphism; males (such as today's figure) are smaller and more colorful than females. The female of O. goliath represents the second largest species of butterfly in terms of wingspan. Females can have wingspans up to 28 cm, second only to the Queen Alexandra's birdwing, whose females have a wingspan slightly over 28 cm.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Hesperonychus elizabethae Longrich & Currie, 2009

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Vivid Toy Group
Series: Walking with Dinosaurs
Year of Release: 2012
Size/Scale: Figure length 10.5 cm. Body length 8.0 cm for a scale of 1:12.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique [see below]
Miscellaneous Notes: Most of my dinosaurs are by Safari Ltd., but I make exceptions for some small, unusual taxa. I believe this figure is unique for this species, although I do not know the full extent of Walking with Dinosaurs merchandise. Although we do not have a lot of material for H. elizabethae, there are some notable anatomical inaccuracies in this figure, namely the position of feathers nearing the wrist of the animal.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of present-day Alberta.
Habitat: Forested coastal floodplains, swamps, marshes
Diet: Small animals, possibly insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: At the time of this writing, Hesperonychus elizabethae is the smallest carnivorous dinosaur known from North America.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Psychopyge sp.

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Dinotales Series 1
Year of Release: 2001
Size/Scale: Body length 4.5 cm for a scale of approximately 1:2-1:3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique [as a sculpt]
Miscellaneous Notes: These two figures represent color variants of the same sculpt, originally released in 2001. Being original Dinotales figures, some assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Lower Devonian (Emsian) of present-day Europe and North Africa (Morocco)
Habitat: Benthopelagic
Diet: Presumed soft-bodied invertebrates and/or scavengers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Psychopyge is known for its elongated, spatulate rostrum, the function of which is unknown; it may have been used as a sensory organ or to root potential prey out of sand or silt.

[JimoAi]

Species: †Psychopyge sp.

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Dinotales Series 1
Year of Release: 2001
Size/Scale: Body length 4.5 cm for a scale of approximately 1:2-1:3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique [as a sculpt]
Miscellaneous Notes: These two figures represent color variants of the same sculpt, originally released in 2001. Being original Dinotales figures, some assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Lower Devonian (Emsian) of present-day Europe and North Africa (Morocco)
Habitat: Benthopelagic
Diet: Presumed soft-bodied invertebrates and/or scavengers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Psychopyge is known for its elongated, spatulate rostrum, the function of which is unknown; it may have been used as a sensory organ or to root potential prey out of sand or silt.

You sure do love your arthropods

[Halichoeres]

Do you have a favorite color scheme for the Psychopyges?

[bmathison1972]

Do you have a favorite color scheme for the Psychopyges?

@Halichoeres - I prefer the one one the left that doesn't have the ringed antennae; looks more 'natural' to me.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Kaniska canace (Linnaeus, 1763) (blue admiral)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Ikimon
Series: Science Techni Colour - Private Specimen of a Lepidopterist Acrylic Mascot 1
Year of Release: 2017
Size/Scale: Wingspan 4.5 cm for a scale of 1:1.3-1:1.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The figures in this set are essentially photographs of butterflies embedded in acrylic. Flip the figure over and the underside reveals an image of the ventral side of the animal, too. They are also sold as keychains (hence the hole in the acrylic above the head).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: South and Southeast Asia
Habitat: Forests
Diet: Larvae feed on plants in the families Smilacaceae, Convallariaceae, and Lilaceae; adults feed on rotting fruit and tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Males of K. canace are extremely territorial and will chase other butterflies away from their territories.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Chalcosoma moellenkampi Kolbe, 1900

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: 'Beetles on Wood'
Year of Release: unknown
Size/Scale: Base of log 2.3 cm. Body length (including horns) 2.5 cm for a scale of 1:5 for a major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: 'Beetles on Wood' is my designation for a set of very small Sega figures that depict the usual scarabaeoid beetles on logs. I don't know much about this set, including the official name of the set, when they came out, or how many figures are in it (I have 15 out of 16 known figures; the one I didn't retain is an anime version of Allomyrina dichotoma, which I believe serves as Sega's mascot).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Borneo
Habitat: Rainforest
Diet: Larvae develop in rotting logs; adults feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Gravid female C. moellenkampi lay their eggs in rotting hardwood logs. The total life cycle from egg deposition to emergence of the adult beetle takes about 1-1.5 years.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Leptoseris amitoriensis Veron, 1990 (porcelain coral; sunray lettuce coral)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Corals in Colour
Year of Release: 2005
Size/Scale: Figure 3.0 cm in diameter for a scale of 1:3.3-1:10
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The Yujin corals are small and made out of a limestone-calcium carbonate sandstone, rather than the usual PVC. They make great accessories for other marine wildlife.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Pacific, from Australia to Japan
Habitat: Reefs, usually at depths of 0-30 meters
Diet: Plankton that drift within reach
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Leptoseris amitoriensis is usually found on lower slopes on a reef, protected from waves.

[JimoAi]

Species: Leptoseris amitoriensis Veron, 1990 (porcelain coral; sunray lettuce coral)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Corals in Colour
Year of Release: 2005
Size/Scale: Figure 3.0 cm in diameter for a scale of 1:3.3-1:10
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The Yujin corals are small and made out of a limestone-calcium carbonate sandstone, rather than the usual PVC. They make great accessories for other marine wildlife.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Pacific, from Australia to Japan
Habitat: Reefs, usually at depths of 0-30 meters
Diet: Plankton that drift within reach
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Leptoseris amitoriensis is usually found on lower slopes on a reef, protected from waves.

Are the Yujin corals fragile? The fact that they are made of calcium carbonate scares me

[bmathison1972]

Are the Yujin corals fragile? The fact that they are made of calcium carbonate scares me

Well, most are small and compact, so as long as you take good care of them breakage shouldn't be an issue. I haven't had any issues yet.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Ophiophagus hannah Cantor, 1836 (king cobra)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Möjo Fun
Series: Wildlife
Year of Release: 2018
Size/Scale: Figure 6.0 cm tall. Measured along midline, body approximately 31 cm for a scale of 1:10-1:13
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: An iconic venomous animal, O. hannah has not been made into toy/figure form with great frequency. This rendition by Möjo Fun is probably the best, although the paint is somewhat of a hybrid, having spectacles on the back of the hood characteristic of Indian cobras.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia
Habitat: Riparian areas in forests, bamboo tickets, mangrove swamps, agricultural fields
Diet: Other snakes, lizards
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: While generally not aggressive, O. hannah is extremely venomous. Its venom contains both cytotoxins and neurotoxins; the toxins affect the nervous system, resulting in pain, blurred vision, and eventual paralysis, cardiovascular collapse, and possibly coma and death.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Capra aegagrus hircus Linnaeus, 1758 (Alpine goat)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Papo
Series: Farm Life
Year of Release: 2014
Size/Scale: Figure length 9.0 cm. Height at shoulder 5.0 cm, for a scale 1:16 for an Alpine goat
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very common
Miscellaneous Notes: When I first started my synoptic collection, I picked this figure as it represented, to me at least, the typical 'barnyard' goat. This figure was not marketed as a specific breed, but it appears to be sculpted after the Alpine (which makes sense for France-based Papo). It is currently the only domestic goat in my collection, but I am not opposed to getting others that represent good exemplars of specific breeds. Goat breeds do not interest me as much as cattle breeds, however.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Breed originated in the French Alps; introduced to other parts of the world, including the United States and Australia
Habitat: Forests, fields, pastures
Diet: Natural diet includes shrubby plants, trees, vines, and weeds
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Domesticated
Miscellaneous Notes: Capra aegagrus hircus was domesticated from C. a. aegagrus in eastern Europe and southwest Asia; domestication goes back at least 10,000 years. There are currently over 300 defined breeds of domestic goat. The Alpine breed originated in the French Alps and is bred primarily for its milk.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Battus philenor (Linnaeus, 1771) (pipevine swallowtail, larva)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Club Earth
Series: Caterpillars to Go
Year of Release: Unknown
Size/Scale: Body length 8.0 cm for a scale of 1.6:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The Club Earth caterpillars are marked with the common name on the underside. The figures have been copied multiple times. The Imomushi collection by Beam features most of the species from the Club Earth collection, but they are not direct knock-offs, as they are posed in slightly different positions.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eastern and southern United States, Mexico
Habitat: Forests, grasslands, meadows, gardens
Diet: Larvae feed on Aristolochia (pipevines); adults take nectar from various flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated [NatureServe status: Secure]
Miscellaneous Notes: Adults of Battus philenor retain toxins (aristolochic acids) acquired by larvae after feeding on pipevines. As as result, several other butterflies have evolved to mimic B. philenor, including the dark form of the eastern swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) and the southern populations of the white admiral (Limenitis arthemis).