Mathison Museum of Natural History

[Gwangi]

I just got this one last week, an exciting find for sure!

[bmathison1972]

Species: Ovibos moschatus (Zimmerman, 1780) (muskox)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Wildlife
Year of Production: 2018
Size/Scale: Body length 12.0 cm for a scale of 1:16.7-1:21
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: In 2018, we were finally given two new muskox figures by major brands, this one and the model by Safari Ltd. I like them both, but I think the paint application on the CollectA figure makes it the overwhelming favorite. The Safari figure, however, is in a slightly more dynamic pose.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Circumpolar
Habitat: Arctic tundra north of the treeline
Diet: Grasses, sedges, mosses, shrubs, herbs
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Ovibos moschatus is a social animal, living in smaller groups (usually harems of 5-20) in the summer and larger groups (upwards of 60 members) in the winter. Muskoxen display distinctive group defensive behavior to protect their calves. When predators such as wolves approach a herd, the adults form a ring around the calves facing outwards, with the bulls usually being the first line of defense.

[Halichoeres]

CollectA's ungulates are so good.

[bmathison1972]

CollectA's ungulates are so good.

Yes they are!

Next up:

Species: Chalcosoma atlas (Linnaeus, 1758) (Atlas beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Wing Mau
Series: Flying Beetles
Year of Production: unknown (Wing Mau's website states 'until 2006' so released in 2006 or earlier)
Size/Scale: Wingspan 10.5 cm. Body length (including horns) 5.3 cm, for a scale of roughly 1:2 for a major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: Chalcosoma atlas is not as commonly made as the related C. chiron. Wing Mau did not identify these figures at the species level. This figure is somewhat generic, and the placement of the projection on the cephalic horn could support an ID of either C. atlas or C. chiron. I chose C. atlas because the projection is broad and located closer to the tip of the horn; in C. chiron the projection is an acute spine located about mid-way on the horn. Unlike similar 'flying' figures by Sega, these by Wing Mau do not have bases and do not require assembly.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia
Habitat: Broadleaf forests
Diet: Larvae feed in decaying wood and detritus; adults feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like many large members of the tribe Dynastini, C. atlas exhibits marked sexual dimorphism. Males (shown here) have three pronotal horns (two longer lateral horns and a shorter central horn) and a long cephalic horn. Including horns, males measure approximately 6-12 cm. Females lack horns and measure 2.5-6.0 cm.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Lucanus maculifemoratus Motschulsky, 1861 (Miyama stag beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: F-toys
Series: Insect Hunter Beetle and Stag Beetle
Year of Production: 2011
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: This is our third look at L. maculifemoratus in the Museum. Assembly is not required, but the legs are removable. Also, the base of the legs and mandibles are articulated.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northeast Asia, including China, Taiwan, Korean Peninsula, eastern Russia, and Japan
Habitat: Forests
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting wood and detritus; adults feed on tree sap.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like with many large scarabaeoid beetles, L. maculifemoratus spends most of its life as a larva in the host substrate. The larval development takes almost 2 years, but adults only live for a few months. Adults die after mating and oviposition and do not overwinter as adults.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Bison bonasus (Linnaeus, 1758) (wisent; European bison)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Schleich
Series: Wild Life Europe
Year of Production: 2003
Size/Scale: Height at shoulder 6.5 cm for a scale of 1:27-1:31
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon to rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Unlike its North American cousin, this European species has been ignored in recent years by toy manufacturers (even European companies produce the American bison more frequently than the European bison). The two most recent versions are this one, which was retired in 2005, and the one by Bullyland that was available from 2013-2018.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eastern Europe, particularly the Białowieża Forest (see below)
Habitat: Broadleaf and mixed forests, meadows, young plantations
Diet: Primarily grasses, herbs, and sedges, supplemented with trees
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Historically, B. bonasus was distributed throughout much of Northern and Central Europe, west to the Caucasus. Over time, the population decreased due primarily to habitat destruction, but also hunting. By 1927, the European bison was considered extinct in the wild; only about 50 animals remained, all in zoos. In 1952, the bison was reintroduced to the Białowieża Forest in Poland. Today there are roughly 3,500 wild animals living in forested regions of Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Belarus, and Lithuania. The Białowieża Forest still hold the largest wild population, with about 1000 wild bison.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Papilio polyxenes Fabricius, 1775 (black swallowtail; eastern black swallowtail; parsley swallowtail)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: K&M International; Insect Lore
Series: Butterflies Mini Polybag (K&M); Big Bunch-O Butterflies (IL)
Year of Production: unknown (K&M); 2013 (IL)
Size/Scale: Wingspan 3.5 cm for a scale of 1:2.3-1:3.1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Figures from neither set are marketed at the species level and the identifications are my own. The figure on the left is by K&M International; the one on the right is by Insect Lore. The two figures are identical and without unique markings. I only know which is which because I can compare the nuances of the paint application with images in earlier posts on the forum! Whether Insect Lore copied K&M (I do know the K&M model came first) or they both outsourced the same manufacturer, I do not know.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southern Canada and much of the United State (absent in the Pacific Northwest), south to South America and the West Indies
Habitat: Meadows, fields, parks, gardens, marshes, deserts
Diet: Larvae feed primarily on plants in the family Apiaceae (carrot family); adults take nectar from flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern [NatureServe status Secure]
Miscellaneous Notes: Papilio polyxenes exhibits sexual dimorphism. Males (as shown in these figures) are black with yellow spots, but the females are larger and have blue on the hindwings as well. It is believed the color of the female represents Batesian mimicry with the pipevine swallowtail (Battus philenor).

[bmathison1972]

Species: Chalcosoma chiron (Olivier, 1789) (Caucasus beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.
Series: B.I.G. Beetles
Year of Production: 2005
Size/Scale: Body length (including cephalic horn) 10.5 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: Most figures of C. chiron are sold under its synonym, C. caucasus. This is our second look at C. chiron in the Museum. This large figure requires assembly and the final product has minimal articulations. This figure, and slight variations of it, have been recycled several times by Takara and Subarudo.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae feed in decaying wood and detritus; adults feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like many large scarabaeid beetles, especially those among the Dynastinae, C. chiron exhibits marked sexual dimorphism. In addition to lacking cephalic and pronotal horns, females have a smaller body and a velvety texture to the elytra due to the presence of dense, small setae (hairs).

[bmathison1972]

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

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Discovery Channel
Series: Terrors of Nature - Most-feared Beasts
Year of Production: 1999
Size/Scale:  Body length 4.0 cm for a scale of 3.3:1-2.7:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was specifically sold as a 'killer bee' even though in reality such a concept doesn't exist (see below).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Nearly worldwide. 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: In the 1950s, an African subspecies of honey bee (A. m. scutellata) was crossbred with European subspecies, in an attempt to make a breed that would produce more honey in tropical climates. In 1957, 26 swarms of the Africa subspecies escaped quarantine in Brazil and started crossbreeding with European subspecies in the area. These hybrids were more defensive than other strains and are more likely to respond to disturbances, giving the impression they are naturally more aggressive towards humans and more likely to attack. These Africanized bees moved northward, reaching Mexico in 1985 and the United States in the early 1990s. The term 'killer bee' was used by the media to sell sensationalism and by film producers to sell horror movies. It created widespread fear and people would call local extension offices and pest control companies every time they saw a honey bee, fearing it was a 'killer bee'. In reality, any honey bee will aggressively protect its colony when provoked, not just the African hybrids, and it is impossible to recognize an African strain from gross morphology alone.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Zootoca vivipara (Lichtenstein, 1823) (viviparous lizard)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Choco Q Animatales Series 10
Year of Production: 2005
Size/Scale: Figure length 9.5 cm. Snout-to-vent length 5.0 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Choco Q figures, some assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Europe, Northern and Central Asia, Japan
Habitat: Damp forests, meadows, swamps, moorland, heathland, fens, dunes, hedgerows, gardens
Diet: Invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Zootoca vivipara gets its common name from the ability of some northen populations to give birth to live young, an adaptation for cooler climates. However, in the southern part of its range, where the climate is warmer, some populations lay eggs like other lizards.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Pocillopora verrucosa (Ellis et Solander, 1786) (rasp coral; cauliflower coral)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Corals in Colour
Year of Production: 2005
Size/Scale: Figure 2.5 cm in diameter for a scale of 1:12
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: Indo-Pacific
Habitat: Coral reefs, at depths of 0-54 meters
Diet: Floating microorganisms that come within reach of their tentacles; also, nutrients derived from photosynthetic dinoflagellates living within the coral's tissues.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Pocillopora verrucosa can reproduce asexually by fragmentation or sexually. In the latter, the hermaphroditic coral releases both male and female gametes into the water column, usually during the new moon in mid-summer (January). In some populations, the corals fertilize the eggs internally and brood the developing larvae.

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Harpes sp.

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Paleocasts
Series: Trilobite Cast Collection
Year of Production: 2017
Size/Scale: Body length 5.5 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Paleocasts is a line of prehistoric animals, mainly invertebrates, produced by artist Patrick May and sold on Etsy in the U.S. The figures can usually be purchased finished (as shown here) or unfinished.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Devonian of present-day Africa (especially Morocco)
Habitat: Marine, benthic
Diet: Filter feeder on marine invertebrates and detritus
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: I had difficulty researching information on this genus. Characteristics of harpetid trilobites include the large semicircular brim of the cephalon that reaches back to or beyond the pygidium and the reduction of compound eyes to small tubercles. Harpes may have had poor vision and relied on touch sensations to find food in mud and sand on the ocean floor.

[Gwangi]

Interesting, looks more like a horseshoe crab than a trilobite.

[bmathison1972]

Looks like the trend of coral reef invertebrates continues...

Species: Stylaster boschmai (Eguchi, 1965) (lace coral)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Corals in Colour
Year of Production: 2005
Size/Scale: Colony height 1.7 cm for a scale of approximately 1:18 (see below)
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. This is one of two figures in this set that are not true corals, but rather hydrozoans, a group of animals that includes things such as Hydra, tubularians, and the Portuguese man o' war.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-West Pacific (described from Japan)
Habitat: Coral reefs, benthic
Diet: Predaceous on small marine invertebrates that drift within reach of their tentacles.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: I had difficulty researching information on this species. Stylaster boschmai is a colonial Type A hydrozoan described from Japan (but I do not know the full extent of its range). The scale calculated above is based on the genus as a whole (max. size 30 cm tall).

[bmathison1972]

Species: Hyperolius argus Peters, 1854 (Argus reed frog)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Colorata
Series: Tropical Rain Forest Frogs
Year of Production: 2019 (2005)
Size/Scale: Body length 3.7 cm, slightly above 1:1 scale
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: My figure is a 2019 release of a model that originally came out in 2005.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eastern coastal Africa
Habitat: Riparian areas in dense, humid savanna and grassland
Diet: Invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Hyperolius argus is sexually dimorphic. Females (shown here) are light to golden brown with cream-colored spots; males are solid green to brown and lack cream spots. There is also some clinal variation in color from north to south, and the species may intergrade with other Hyperolius species, causing challenges for morphologic identification.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Mikadotrochus hirasei (Pilsbry, 1903) (emperor slit shell)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Choco Q Animatales Series 6
Year of Production: 2002
Size/Scale: Figure length 4.0 cm. Shell diameter 2.5 cm for a scale of 1:2-1:5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being an original Choco Q Animatales figure, some assembly is required. While this species is currently unique, there is at least one more species of Mikadotrochus available as a toy/figure, M. beyrichii by Epoch.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Pacific, from Japan to Philippines
Habitat: Benthic and along shelves, at depths of 150-300 meters
Diet: Sponges, corals, crinoids
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: The life cycle of M. hirasei goes from a planktonic trocophor larva to a juvenile veliger to eventually an adult.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Prosopocoilus giraffa (Olivier, 1789) (giraffe stag beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Hayakawa Toys
Series: Insects Collection - Special
Years of Production: 2004
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 6.0 cm for a scale of roughly 1:2 for a maximum-sized major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the third time we've seen P. giraffa in the Museum. This collection by Hayakawa Toys features a lot of the common species routinely made by Japanese companies, although the quality is not as good as what we have come to expect from Kaiyodo, Kitan Club, Sega, etc. Some species in the set come in large and small versions, but today's P. giraffa is only represented by this single figure.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia, from southern India to Indonesia
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae feed on rotting hardwoods; adults are attracted to sap flows
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Prosopocoilus giraffa and P. confusius are sometimes placed in the genus Cladognathus, although most authorities still recognize Cladognathus as a subgenus of Prosopocoilus.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Lucanus maculifemoratus Motschulsky, 1861 (Miyama stag beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: 'Beetles on Wood'
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 3.0 cm for a scale of about 1:2.5 for a large major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is our fourth look at L. maculifemoratus in the Museum. '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: Northeast Asia, including China, Taiwan, Korean Peninsula, eastern Russia, and Japan
Habitat: Forests
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting wood and detritus; adults feed on tree sap.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like with many large scarabaeoid beetles, L. maculifemoratus spends most of its life as a larva in the host substrate. The larval development takes almost 2 years, but adults only live for a few months. Adults die after mating and oviposition and do not overwinter as adults.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Halocynthia roretzi (von Drashe, 1884) (sea pineapple)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Michinoku Figure Collection
Year of Production: 2005
Size/Scale: Bottlecap base 3.4 cm in diameter. Animal height 4.0 cm for a scale of approximately 1:3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This is one of only two species of tunicates I am aware of that have been made into a toy or figure, the other being the deep sea predatory species Megalodicopia hians. Today's figure was part of a set that featured items of Japanese culture, and not just animals. Some assembly is required. The animal is removable from its habitat base, leaving a peg on the bottom, and the base is removable from the bottlecap.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Pacific (Korea, Japan)
Habitat: Coastal, benthic
Diet: Filter feeder on plankton and detritus
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: While Halocynthia roretzi gets its common name from its morphologic resemblance to a pineapple, it is itself edible and is eaten in Korea (meongge) and Japan (hoya, maboya).

[bmathison1972]

Species: Xantusia bezyi Papenfuss, Macey, et Schulte, 2001 (Bezy's night lizard)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Wing Mau
Series: Lizards
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Figure length 12.0 cm. Snout-to-vent length 5.5 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique (as a sculpt)
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure is marked as the 'Arizona night lizard' which usually implies X. arizonae. The figure was probably produced before the description of X. bezyi (or at least before the new species gained widespread familiarity); however, the paint job on this figure better supports X. bezyi among the Arizona species (see below). The sculpt of this figure isn't super accurate for a night lizard, as it should have a more elongate snout. This figure was also released by Club Earth in their Lizards to Go collection.

EDIT September 4, 2021: There is a second color version of this figure that is painted like typical X. arizonae. I have recently acquired this figure and will review it some day.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central Arizona
Habitat: Desert highlands, pine woodlands; usually around granite outcroppings
Diet: Arthropods
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Prior to 2001, described species of Xanthusia from Arizona included the desert night lizard (X. vigilis) and the Arizona night lizard (X. arizonae), the latter of which is sometimes considered a subspecies of the former. In 2001, X. bezyi was described from central Arizona based on molecular, morphologic, and ecological data. Among the morphologic features that helps distinguish X. bezyi are the larger maculae on a frequently orangish background (as seen in this figure by Wing Mau). True X. arizonae and X. vigilis have smaller maculae that are arranged in somewhat irregular and disorganized rows. It is quite possible that this figure was modeled after a specimen of X. arizonae that would eventually be regarded as X. bezyi. Interestingly, this figure could also be patterned after the granite night lizard (X. henshawi); however, that species occurs in southern California and northern Baja California, and wouldn't be expected in Arizona.