Mathison Museum of Natural History

[bmathison1972]

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

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.
Series: B.I.G. Insects; B.I.G. Beetles
Years of Production: 2015; 2017
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 11.5 cm for a scale of 2:1-1.5:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is our fifth look at L. maculifemoratus in the Museum. These two figures represent the same sculpt. The victor on the right was produced by Takara for the 2015 release of their B.I.G. Insects series; his opponent on the left was produced for the 2017 release of their B.I.G. Beetles series. It's easy to tell which is which in-hand because Takara stamps the year of production on the underside of the left elytron. The figures require assembly and are articulated at the base of the appendages.

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 lucanid beetles, major males of L. maculifemoratus have enlarged mandibles used for fighting rival males and securing feeding and breeding sites.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Pagrus major (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843) (red seabream)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Colorata
Series: Salt Water Fish
Year of Production: 2015 (2008)
Size/Scale: Body length 7.0 cm for a scale of 1:4.7-1:14.3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: My figure is the 2015 release of a figure that originally came out in 2008. Minimal assembly required (pectoral fins must be attached). The fish is removable from its habitat-style base. There are three other very good representatives of this species, by Yujin (Saltwater Fish Pictorial Book 2), Kaiyodo (Natural Monuments of Japan) and Favorite Co. (Aqua Fish), the last of which was released recently in 2020.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northwest Pacific (northeast South China Sea to Japan)
Habitat: Demersal, often in rocky areas or reefs, at depths of 10-200 meters (usually 10-50 meters)
Diet: Benthic invertebrates, small fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Pagrus major is a major commercial fish in Southeast Asia, especially in Japan where it is known as the 'King of Saltwater Fish' for its outstanding shape, color, and flavor.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Pieris rapae (Linnaeus, 1758) (small cabbage white; cabbage butterfly; small white)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: K&M International
Series: European Garden Tube
Year of Production: 2006
Size/Scale: Wingspan 6.5 cm for a scale of 1.4:1-1:1 (1:1 would be for an exceptionally large specimen)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure could easily represent any one of several members of the genus Pieris, but given the theme of the tube, it probably represents P. rapae or the large cabbage white, P. brassicae. I chose the former due to the more subtle black on the tips of the forewing. Pieris rapae is sexually dimorphic, and this figure could either represent a female lacking a second black spot on the forewings, or a male with a rather large black spot on the forewings.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Believed native to the Eastern Mediterranean, with natural spread throughout Europe and Asia following the expansion of brassicaceous crops; unintentional introductions to North America, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii
Habitat: Highly variable, but usually in areas with open spaces, including open forests, bogs, fields, meadows, disturbed areas, parks, gardens
Diet: Larvae primarily feed on plants in the family Brassicaceae (crucifers), with secondary hosts in the families Capparidacaea (capers) and Resedaceae (mignonettes); adults take nectar from flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated (NatureServe status is Secure)
Miscellaneous Notes: Pieris rapae has a natural distribution throughout much of the Palearctic. In 1860, it was accidentally introduced to Quebec, Canada. It now occurs throughout most of North America, south to northern Mexico. In 1898, it was introduced to Hawaii. In 1929, it was introduced to New Zealand and Australia. Throughout its range, P. rapae is a pest of crops, including cabbage, kale, radish, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, and horseradish.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Grapsus grapsus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Sally Lightfoot crab; red rock crab)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Incredible Creatures
Year of Production: 2008
Size/Scale: Total figure width 18.0 cm. Carapace width 6.5 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Safari also made a small version of this species for their Galapagos TOOB in 2009, a sculpt that they would reuse for their Pacific TOOB in 2019; neither of those TOOB figures have a detailed paint application, however. The best small figure of this species is probably by Play Visions in their Galapagos Islands Wildlife collection, however that figure is long retired and very difficult to find these days.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Pacific Islands; Pacific Coast of America from Baja California to Chile, including Galapagos Islands; West Atlantic, from southern Florida to Brazil, West Indies
Habitat: Larvae are marine in shallow waters off-shore. Adults live on rocky shorelines, usually at or above the spray line
Diet: Omnivore, including marine invertebrates, carrion, fish, young sea turtles, bird eggs, dung, algae
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Grapsus grapsus has been observed exhibiting a cleaning symbiosis with marine iguanas on the Galapagos islands, by removing ticks from the lizards' bodies.

[Isidro]

East Atlantic, from West Africa and Portugal, including Azores, Cape Verde, Sao Tome and Principe, Ascension and Saint Helena

Actually the Atlantic one is Grapsus adscensionis, unless there were a lumping that I'm not aware of

[bmathison1972]

East Atlantic, from West Africa and Portugal, including Azores, Cape Verde, Sao Tome and Principe, Ascension and Saint Helena

Actually the Atlantic one is Grapsus adscensionis, unless there were a lumping that I'm not aware of

Yes, thank you. I misread the document I got that information from.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Lethocerus americanus (Leidy, 1847) (giant water bug)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Skillcraft
Series: Insect Lab
Year of Production: 1998
Size/Scale: Body length 3.5 cm for a scale of 1:1.3-1:1.7
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The Skillcraft Insect Lab is a model kit, and the figures must be assembled and painted by the user. These were some of my earliest attempts at painting figures. The main focus of the Insect Lab set was a large anatomical model of a field cricket. However, there were five individual insects (including today's) that were marketed at the species level, four of which are currently unique and a fifth which is uncommon in toy form.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North America
Habitat: Ponds, marshes, edges of large lakes and slow rivers
Diet: Aquatic invertebrates, snails, small fish, amphibians
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other belostomatids, parental care is reversed in L. americanus, and the males care for the young. Eggs are laid near or in water attached to aquatic plants, stones, leaves, or submerged branches and guarded by the male. If the eggs are not submerged, the male will bring water to them to avoid desiccation.

[Gwangi]

I see these pretty regularly, especially when I go frog watching in the spring. One of my favorite insects.

[bmathison1972]

I see these pretty regularly, especially when I go frog watching in the spring. One of my favorite insects.

I knew you'd like that one

Next up:

Species: Pithecophaga jefferyi Ogilvie-Grant, 1896 (Philippine eagle; monkey-eating eagle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Colorata
Series: Endangered Species - Raptors
Year of Production: 2005
Size/Scale: Total figure height 7.0 cm. Body length approximately 8.0 cm for a scale of 1:10.75-1:12.75
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The bird is not removable from its base and is sculpted with prey.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Philippines (Luzon, Samar, Leyte, Mindanao)
Habitat: Low and mid-montane rainforest
Diet: Mammals, other birds, reptiles
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Critically Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Pithecophaga jefferyi was originally thought to be a specialist on monkeys because the first examined specimen was found to have a partially digested monkey in its alimentary canal. Pithecophaga jefferyi is an apex predator throughout its range and it feeds on a wide variety of small and medium-sized vertebrate animals, including monkeys, bats, rodents, colugo, palm civets, small deer, young pigs, dogs, owls, hornbills, snakes, and monitor lizards.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Oncorhynchus rhodurus Jordan & McGregor, 1925 (Biwa trout)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Capsule Q Museum - Biwako
Year of Production: 2014
Size/Scale: Body length 6.0 cm for a scale of 1:6.7-1:8.3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The figure attaches to its habitat-style base with a small clear acrylic rod, from which it is removable.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan; naturally endemic to Lake Biwa, introduced to Lake Chûzenji and Lake Ashinoko
Habitat: Freshwater lakes
Diet: Plankton, aquatic invertebrates, smaller fish, amphibians
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Oncorhynchus rhodurus is sometimes considered a subspecies of the masou salmon, O. masou.

[JimoAi]

Species: Oncorhynchus rhodurus Jordan & McGregor, 1925 (Biwa trout)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Capsule Q Museum - Biwako
Year of Production: 2014
Size/Scale: Body length 6.0 cm for a scale of 1:6.7-1:8.3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The figure attaches to its habitat-style base with a small clear acrylic rod, from which it is removable.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan; naturally endemic to Lake Biwa, introduced to Lake Chûzenji and Lake Ashinoko
Habitat: Freshwater lakes
Diet: Plankton, aquatic invertebrates, smaller fish, amphibians
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Oncorhynchus rhodurus is sometimes considered a subspecies of the masou salmon, O. masou.

I've ordered that for my birthday

[bmathison1972]

Congrats!!!! 

[Isidro]

They prey of the Philippine eagle looks like a colugo, is it? but it's veru small compared with the eagle, so maybe it is a tree shrew instead?

[bmathison1972]

They prey of the Philippine eagle looks like a colugo, is it? but it's veru small compared with the eagle, so maybe it is a tree shrew instead?

It has a short, albeit thick, tail, with a membrane sculpted between the legs and between the hind legs and tail, so I assume it's a colugo.

Next up:

Species: Ranoidea aurea (Lesson, 1829) (green and gold bell frog)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Series: Yowies Series 4
Year of Production: 1999
Size/Scale: Body length 3.7 cm for a scale of 1:1.5-1:3 depending on the sex
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Being an original Australian Yowie, some assembly is required. Cadbury also released a solid-piece figure of this species in the UK Yowies series.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeastern Australia; introduced to New Zealand (North Island), New Caledonia, Vanuatu
Habitat: Coastal swamps, wetlands, marshes, dams, ditches, ephemeral pools, small rivers, and disturbed areas, usually water free of native fish species; typically among vegetation near the water
Diet: Tadpoles eat detritus, algae, and bacteria; adults eat invertebrates and other frogs, even their own species
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Ranoidea aurea has disappeared from about 90% of its original range since the 1960s; most of that loss is interior and due to habitat destruction. Most of the populations today on mainland Australia are in the Sydney area. It also occurs on the coastal islands of Kooragang Island, Broughton Island, and Bowen Island, and has been introduced to New Zealand (North Island), New Caledonia, and Vanuatu.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Pipa pipa (Linnaeus, 1758) (common Surinam toad)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Agatsuma Entertainment
Series: Amazing Creatures
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Base 8.0 cm wide. Body length 4.5 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: The figure comes with a smooth black oval base with its Japanese name (see inset) to which it attaches with a small acrylic rod. Although not obvious in these pics, the frog is sculpted with a small fish in its mouth. The only other sculpt of this species I am familiar with is the 1996 figure by Play Visions, which was reissued by Yujin in 2002.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northern South America
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical swamps, freshwater marshes, sluggish rivers and canals; usually habitats with muddy bottoms
Diet: Aquatic invertebrates, small fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: After mating, females carry the fertile eggs around with them in pockets in the skin on the their backs. The young develop through the tadpole stage in these pockets and hatch as small toads after about 12-20 weeks.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Physalia physalis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Portuguese man o' war)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.
Series: Encyclopedia of Dangerous Organisms
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Figure height 5.5 cm. Pneumatophore 4.0 cm long for a scale of 1:2.25-1:7.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Minimal assembly required. The dactylozooids are splayed at the bottom, not entirely realistic but it allows the figure to stand on its own.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Worldwide in tropical and subtropical oceans
Habitat: Pelagic; neuston
Diet: Fish, marine invertebrates, plankton
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Physalia physalis is not a single animal, but rather a colony of animals living together and functioning as a single entity. The large structure visible above water is a pneumatophore, which is used for buoyancy and acts as a sail for passive movement. Hanging from the pneumatophore are individual animals called zooids; different zooids have different names based on their primary function. The long tentacle-like zooids used for hunting and feeding are called dactylozooids. After prey is captured by the dactylozooids, it is digested by the gastrozooids. The zooids used for reproduction are gonophores, which are located on branching structures called gonodendra. The gonodendra have additional accessory zooids, including palpons (accessory digestive structures), nectophores (allow detached gonodendra to swim), and nectophores (also possibly involved in locomotion).

[JimoAi]

Species: Physalia physalis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Portuguese man o' war)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.
Series: Encyclopedia of Dangerous Organisms
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Figure height 5.5 cm. Pneumatophore 4.0 cm long for a scale of 1:2.25-1:7.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Minimal assembly required. The dactylozooids are splayed at the bottom, not entirely realistic but it allows the figure to stand on its own.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Worldwide in tropical and subtropical oceans
Habitat: Pelagic; neuston
Diet: Fish, marine invertebrates, plankton
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Physalia physalis is not a single animal, but rather a colony of animals living together and functioning as a single entity. The large structure visible above water is a pneumatophore, which is used for buoyancy and acts as a sail for passive movement. Hanging from the pneumatophore are individual animals called zooids; different zooids have different names based on their primary function. The long tentacle-like zooids used for hunting and feeding are called dactylozooids. After prey is captured by the dactylozooids, it is digested by the gastrozooids. The zooids used for reproduction are gonophores, which are located on branching structures called gonodendra. The gonodendra have additional accessory zooids, including palpons (accessory digestive structures), nectophores (allow detached gonodendra to swim), and nectophores (also possibly involved in locomotion).

I have the ikimon one

[bmathison1972]

Species: Mephitis mephitis (Schreber, 1776) (striped skunk)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Schleich
Series: Wild Life America
Year of Production: 2012
Size/Scale: Figure length 6.0 cm. Total body length including tail about 8.0 cm for a scale of 1:6.25-1:10 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: Such a familiar animal, Mephitis mephitis surprisingly has not produced in toy form very often over the years. I initially had the 2010 CollectA model, but the paint had been applied horribly and the more I studied it, the more I felt it was sculpted and painted after a juvenile. To me, the two best are today's and another by Schleich, which was released as part of a box set in 2017. Many M. mephitis figures aren't painted very accurately for the head, body, and tail together. The scale above is based on a total body length range of 50-80 cm; no two references seemed to have the exact same data but generally fell within this range.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North America
Habitat: Forests, mixed woodlands, wooded ravines, grassy plains, parks, urban and suburban neighborhoods
Diet: Primarily insects; also other invertebrates, small mammals, eggs, reptiles, amphibians, fish, carrion, fruit
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Mephitis mephitis is well known for its chemical defensive behavior. The skunk possesses two highly-developed scent glands on either side of the anus that contain about 15 mL of musk, each. The musk is a mixture of thiols, including (E)-2-butene-1-thiol, 3-methyl-1-butanethiol, S-(E)-2-butenyl thioacetate, S-3-methylbutanyl thioacetate, 2-methylquinoline, 2-quinolinemethanethiol, and S-2-quinolinemethyl thioacetate. The skunk can discharge its musk to a distance of about 6 meters. Contact of the musk with eyes and mucus membranes can result in nausea, intense pain, and temporary blindness.

[bmathison1972]

After an arthropod-heavy January, the consecutive non-arthropod streak continues...

Species: Hippocampus reidi Ginsburg, 1933 (slender seahorse; longsnout seahorse)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Schleich
Series: Wild Life Ocean
Year of Production: 2013
Size/Scale: Figure 6.0 cm tall. Body length 9.5 cm for a scale of 1:1.8
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: I am not sure if Schleich marketed this figure as this species, or if this is a community-based identification, but it is a sound ID either way. The base around the tail is rather sloppily painted, at least on my figure.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Atlantic, from Southeastern USA to Brazil
Habitat: Coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves; to depth of 55 meters
Diet: Microcrustaceans
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Hippocampus reidi mates for life and paired couples have complicated courtship and bonding rituals. Like many other seahorses, males of H. reidi carry the embryos to term in their brood pouches.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Rhina ancylostoma Bloch & Schneider, 1801 (bowmouth guitarfish; shark ray)

About the Figure:
Manufacturers: Safari Ltd.; CollectA
Series: Wild Safari Sealife (Safari Ltd.); Sealife (CollectA)
Years of Production: 2007 (Safari Ltd.); 2017 (CollectA)
Size/Scale: Body length of CollectA adult 15.5 cm for a scale of 1:10-1:17. Body length of Safari juvenile 13.0 cm, presumably within scale of the CollectA adult (see below).
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon to rare
Miscellaneous Notes: I had originally bought the Safari figure, but later bought the CollectA figure to replace it since the latter represents an adult. However, I could not bring myself to part with the Safari figure, and so I kept them both. One of the few instances where the 'synoptic non-arthropod' part of my collection isn't so synoptic; the same phenomenon occurred with the zebra shark! I was debating on whether I should review these two separately or together, but since it's unlikely I'll buy another bowmouth guitarfish figure, I decided to do them together. I had trouble researching the size of juvenile R. ancylostoma that bear the color pattern of the Safari figure, but it probably scales OK with the CollectA adult. Schleich also produced a nice adult and Colorata a nice juvenile, which may scale better with 'standard-sized' adults.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-West Pacific
Habitat: Benthic, demersal; usually in areas with sandy or muddy bottoms, also coral reefs, usually at depths of 3-90 meters
Diet: Fish, marine invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Critically Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Rhina ancylostoma is ovoviviparous, with developing embryos sustained on a yolk within the uterus. Litter sizes vary from 2-11, and newborn rays are on average 45-50 cm in length.