Mathison Museum of Natural History

[bmathison1972]

Species: Cyclommatus speciosus Boileau, 1898

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: DeAgostini
Series: World Insect Data Book
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 5.5 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The DeAgostini insects are cast from actual specimens and are therefore all in the 1:1 range. The figures were sold as premiums with books and come in a plastic display box with their Latin and Japanese names. I am not sure what year the figures were released, and it is possible they were released over multiple years. The original set from Japan consisted of 60 species (59 male Scarabaeoidea and one dragonfly), plus four 'secret' figures representing females of select scarab males. When the set was released in Italy, three of the standard set were replaced with other species, including a leaf insect. Between the two releases and secrets, I think there are 67 figures total representing 63 species. The figures are secured to the base of the box with a small screw, but can be safely removed if one choses to display them outside of the box.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Papua New Guinea (Bougainville Island), Solomon Islands
Habitat: Broadleaf forests
Diet: Larvae feed in decaying logs; adults feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: I had difficulty researching information on this species, and some of the biological information above is general for the genus. From what I can tell, there are two subspecies of C. speciosus: C. s. speciosus and C. s. anepsius, both of which occur in the Solomon Islands chain (Bougainville Island is geographically part of the Solomon Islands, but is currently governed by PNG).

[bmathison1972]

Species: †Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis (Hooley, 1925)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Prehistoric Life
Year of Production: 2018
Size/Scale: Body length 16 cm for a scale of approximately 1:43
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: CollectA specifically marketed this toy as being in a drinking posture, but it could easily be browsing or tending to young as well.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Early Cretaceous (Barremian-Aptian) of present-day Europe
Habitat: Woodlands, floodplains
Diet: Ferns, horsetails, early angiosperms
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: It is generally believed that iguanodontids were facultative bipeds, and primarily move using four limbs but are capable of walking on just their hind legs. In 2008 it was suggested that M. atherfieldensis was primarily bipedal however, only walking on all fours when moving slowly, such as when browsing.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Dorcus antaeus Hope, 1842

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: DeAgostini
Series: World Insect Data Book
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 7.5 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The DeAgostini insects are cast from actual specimens and are therefore all in the 1:1 range. The figures were sold as premiums with books and come in a plastic display box with their Latin and Japanese names. I am not sure what year the figures were released, and it is possible they were released over multiple years. The original set from Japan consisted of 60 species (59 male Scarabaeoidea and one dragonfly), plus four 'secret' figures representing females of select scarab males. When the set was released in Italy, three of the standard set were replaced with other species, including a leaf insect. Between the two releases and secrets, I think there are 67 figures total representing 63 species. The figures are secured to the base of the box with a small screw, but can be safely removed if one choses to display them outside of the box.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia
Habitat: Broadleaf forests
Diet: Larvae breed in decaying logs; adults feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Dorcus antaeus is popular with breeders as it is very easy to rear in terraria.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Dendrobates auratus (Girard, 1855) (green-and-black poison dart frog)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Colorata
Series: Tropical Rain Forest Frogs
Year of Production: 2019 (2005)
Size/Scale: Snout-to-vent length approximately 3.2 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: My figure is the 2019 re-release of one that originally came out in 2005.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central and South America, from Nicaragua and Costa Rica to northwestern Colombia; adventive in Hawaii
Habitat: Lowland and montane rainforest
Diet: Ants, mites, and other small arthropods
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Dendrobates auratus is a good climber and semi-arboreal, hunting, courting, and sleeping in trees. However, because of their small size, they cannot leap easily between trees and come back to the ground to travel to a new tree. In higher population densities, males can become very territorial.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Calumma parsonii (Cuvuer, 1824) (Parson's chameleon)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Play Visions
Series: Chameleons and Geckos
Year of Production: 1996
Size/Scale: Total figure length 9.8 cm; SVL 5.5 cm for a scale of 1:3.6-1:5.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: In 2002, Yujin would repurpose this sculpt for a figure of an Antimena chameleon (Furcifer antimena). Both Play Vision and Yujin stamped common names on the underside of their lizard figures; the PV chameleon is marked 'Parson's chameleon' while the Yujin chameleon is marked 'paddle-nosed chameleon' (another common name for F. antimena). Otherwise, the two sculpts are identical. I also have the latter and it will be reviewed at a later date.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eastern Madagascar
Habitat: Primary rainforest
Diet: Primarily insects; occasionally small birds, mammals, and plant material
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Calumma parsonii is sexually dimorphic, and only males have the enlarged nasal appendages. They can be variable in morphology, and some males have forked noses and in rare occasions, two appendages.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Bombus terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758) (buff-tailed bumble bee)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bullyland
Series: Small Insects and Spiders Collection
Year of Release: 1998
Size/Scale: Body length 3.0 cm for a scale of 2.7:1-1.7:1 for a worker (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Bees in general are commonly made, whether by major manufacturers or in generic bin-style sets, but rarely specifically attributed to a member of Bombus, and even then rarely identified to the species level. The identification of B. terrestris here is my own, based on color and the species' presence in Germany where Bullyland is located (many of Bullyland's earlier insects represented native species). While the color on my figure here is more subdued, the paint job on other figures better illustrates the gray posterior of the abdomen characteristic of workers of B. terrestris, although one could just as easily argue it represents the white-tailed bumblebee (B. lucorum), northern white-tailed bumblebee (B. magnus), or the cryptic bumblebee (B. cryptarum).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Europe, Near East, North Africa; introduced to other regions, including Japan, Chile, Argentina, Tasmania
Habitat: Fields, forests, gardens, disturbed areas
Diet: Larvae are fed nectar and pollen by adults; adults feed on nectar
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Bombus terrestris exhibits alloethism, whereby different sized bees perform different tasks for the colony. For example, larger bees spend more time foraging for pollen outside the nest, whereas smaller bees perform duties within the nest, such as tending to young. The size of the bee is determined by how much it is fed as a larva.

[Isidro]

The identification of B. terrestris here is my own, based on color and the species' presence in Germany

Seriously? There are various dozens of common bumblebee species native to Germany that can match more or less with the colours of the figure (B. muscorum, pascuorum, humilis, etc etc), but precisely B. terrestris cannot be more completely different in coloration... nor any of the others you mention. Assuming that it represents indeed a Bombus, as there are also several other genus that could be even better matches. For example Anthophora hispanica.

[bmathison1972]

The identification of B. terrestris here is my own, based on color and the species' presence in Germany

Seriously? There are various dozens of common bumblebee species native to Germany that can match more or less with the colours of the figure (B. muscorum, pascuorum, humilis, etc etc), but precisely B. terrestris cannot be more completely different in coloration... nor any of the others you mention. Assuming that it represents indeed a Bombus, as there are also several other genus that could be even better matches. For example Anthophora hispanica.

if you had bothered reading it thoroughly, you would have noticed: While the color on my figure here is more subdued, the paint job on other figures better illustrates the gray posterior of the abdomen characteristic of workers of B. terrestris. I was basing the assessment on other examples of the figure, not mine specifically.

[Isidro]

Ops, I missed this part. Sorry for the confusion! It's strange to think that the paintjob in your individual is derived from original ones intending to be B. terrestris - not only due to the lack of white in rear abdomen but every other characteristic of the paintjob too, from the colours themselves to shape, appareance, number and position of the colour patches. I guess that this is a perfect example of how an original paintjob is greatly degradated after many copies sold. Thanks for the explanation!

[bmathison1972]

Species: Xylotrupes gideon (Linnaeus, 1767) (brown rhinoceros beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: DeAgostini
Series: World Insect Data Book
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (including horns) 7.0 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: The DeAgostini insects are cast from actual specimens and are therefore all in the 1:1 range. The figures were sold as premiums with books and come in a plastic display box with their Latin and Japanese names. I am not sure what year the figures were released, and it is possible they were released over multiple years. The original set from Japan consisted of 60 species (59 male Scarabaeoidea and one dragonfly), plus four 'secret' figures representing females of select scarab males. When the set was released in Italy, three of the standard set were replaced with other species, including a leaf insect. Between the two releases and secrets, I think there are 67 figures total representing 63 species. The figures are secured to the base of the box with a small screw, but can be safely removed if one choses to display them outside of the box.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia, from India to Indonesia, Solomon Islands, Moluccas, Papua New Guinea, eastern Australia
Habitat: Forests, palm plantations, suburban areas
Diet: Larvae feed in decaying logs; adults feed on bark, branches, midribs, flowers, and sap of host trees
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Feeding by adults of X. gideon can damage and even kill host trees; throughout its range it is considered a pest of several commercial plants, including coconut palm, banana, plum, oil palm, sugarcane, rubber, bamboo, cacao, litchi, apple, and pear.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Sardina pilchardus (Walbaum, 1792) (European pilchard)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Pelagic Fish TOOB
Year of Production: 2019
Size/Scale: Entire figure 6.5 cm wide. Individual fish 3.5 cm long for a scale of 1:4.3-1:7.1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was only marketed as 'sardines'; the species identification is a community-based one that I concur with.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northeast Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea
Habitat: Coastal pelagic, at depths of 25-55 meters during the day and 15-35 meters at night
Diet: Primarily planktonic crustaceans; other planktonic organisms
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Sardina pilchardus is an important commercial fish. However, eating raw or improperly prepared sardines can result in parasitic infections caused by anisakid nematodes. Luckily, fully-cooked sardines, including those prepared during the canning process, will not contain viable worms.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Spheniscus demersus (Linnaeus, 1758) (African penguin; South African penguin; jackass penguin)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Colorata
Series: Penguins of the World
Year of Production: 2017 (2003)
Size/Scale: Height 5.0 cm for a scale of 1:12-1:14
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the third species of Spheniscus we've seen in the Museum. My figure is the 2017 release of a model that originally came out in 2003. This is one of the few smaller penguin species to be produced by multiple major Western companies, including CollectA (2015), Papo (2016), Safari Ltd. (2008, 2017), and Schleich (2013).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Coastal southwestern Africa (Namibia, South Africa)
Habitat: Rocky coasts, sandy beaches, coastal islands
Diet: Pelagic fish, mollusks, crustaceans
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Members of the genus Spheniscus have the most northern natural distributions for penguins. Spheniscus demersus is the only penguin that breeds in Africa.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni (Boettger, 1893) (Fleishmann's glass frog; northern glass frog)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Capsule Q Museum - Good Luck Charm Frogs Vol. 2
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Snout to vent length 2.9 cm, within scale 1:1 for a female or 1.2:1 for a male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The underside of the figure is translucent and some of its internal organs are visible (see inset)! This is not just the paint job; the organs were sculpted and then encased in translucent PVC. Early promotional photos for the set showed the sculpted organs.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central and South America, from Mexico to Ecuador
Habitat: Lowland and montane rainforest, usually near fast streams
Diet: Small insects and other terrestrial invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni, like other 'glass' frogs, gets its common name from the translucent skin on its underside, making its heart, lungs, and other organs visible through the skin.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Strategus mandibularis Sternberg, 1910

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King, standard series, small
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding horns) 4.0 cm for an average scale of 1:1.3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
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: South America (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay)
Habitat: Broadleaf forests, palm plantations
Diet: Larvae feed in decaying wood, sawdust piles, tree roots, and detritus; adults feed on roots and stems of palms and other host plants
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: I had difficulty researching information on the biology of this species and some of the information above is inferred from other members of the genus. Some members of the genus Strategus are considered pests of palms, pineapple, sugarcane, and other crops in Latin America.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Morpho menelaus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Menelaus blue morpho)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Butterflies TOOB
Year of Production: 2011
ize/Scale: Wingspan 5.0 cm for a scale of 1:2-1:2.4
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the third time we've seen M. menelaus in the Museum. The figures in Safari's Butterflies TOOB consist of four sculpts, with two paint styles each, for a total of eight species. The figures are also stamped with the Latin name on the underside of the wings.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central America and northern South America
Habitat: Rainforest, tropical savanna
Diet: Larvae feed on plants in the genera Erythroxylium and Machaerium; adults take fluids from overripe fruit
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: The metallic blue coloration of the wings of M. menelaus and other Morpho species is based on the microsculpture of the scales on the wing, as opposed to optical interference or just pigment. The ground scales are covered by a set of longitudinal ridges, and within the ridges are layers of lamella. Because the size of the microstructure is the same as the wavelength of light, the layers in the wings react strongly with visible light. The ground and cover scales have a visual structure which is responsible for the diffraction or bending of light pattern of the wings which in turn results in the characteristic iridescence blue color.

[bmathison1972]

Species: Heikeopsis japonica (von Siebold, 1824) (samurai crab; heikegani)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Capsule Q Museum - Japanese Crabs Collection
Year of Production: 2013
Size/Scale: Total figure width 7.5 cm. Carapace width 1.7 cm for a scale of 1:1.2 for a large specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Minimal assembly is required

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northwest Pacific (Japan, Vietnam, Korean Peninsula)
Habitat: Intertidal, subtidal; at depths to 130 meters
Diet: Algae, marine invertebrates, detritus
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Heikeopsis japonica gets its common English and Japanese names from the sculpture of the carapace, which is said to resemble the face of an angry samurai. Japanese folklore tells that H. japonica crabs are reincarnations of Heike warriors defeated at the Battle of Dan-no-ura, which was an epic battle at the end of the 12th century between the Taira (Heike) and Minamoto clans for the control of Japan

[Isidro]

Atonishing crab!

[bmathison1972]

Species: Tridacna maxima (Röding, 1798) (maxima clam; elongate giant clam)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Series: Yowies Series 4
Year of Production: 1999
Size/Scale: Figure width 3.5 cm for a scale of 1:5.7 for a large specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Australian Yowies, some assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-Pacific
Habitat: Coral reefs, at depths to 35 meters
Diet: Nutrients derived from symbiotic zooxanthellae; also planktonic microorganisms via filter feeding
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Lower Risk: Conservation Dependent
Miscellaneous Notes: Giant clams can be very long lived and T. maxima can live over 100 years!

[bmathison1972]

Species: Chelarctus cultrifer (Ortmann, 1897)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: My Favorite Animals
Series: unknown
Year of Production: 2010
Size/Scale: Body length 7.3 cm. Carapace length 2.8 cm, within scale 1:1 for a large specimen.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This was my first venture into the My Favorite Animals resin line from Japan; I purchased this figure and two others (a mantis shrimp and orchid mantis). They are very nice, but are expensive and rather fragile. Many of the figures are too large for me for the taxa they represent.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-Pacific
Habitat: Benthic; usually on sandy or muddy bottoms at depths of 124-300 meters
Diet: Benthic marine invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: As currently delineated, C. cultrifer is a species complex. More narrowly defined, true C. cultrifer occurs in the waters around Indonesia, Philippines, Îles Glorieuses, and possibly East Africa, Seychelles, Saya de Malha Bank, and Hawaii. Populations around Taiwan and Japan appear to represent different species, with the Japanese populations currently undescribed (which means if this figure was modeled after the Japanese population, it would actually represent an undescribed species of Chelarctus).

[bmathison1972]

Species: Carcharhinus leucas (Müller & Henle, 1839) (bull shark)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Sealife
Year of Production: 2010
Size/Scale: Body length 15.5 cm for a scale of 1:12-1:22.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is probably one of the two nicest standard-sized figures of C. leucas, the other being by Papo (2019). In general, I have a preference towards Safari's sharks.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Nearly worldwide in coastal tropical and subtropical oceans, occasionally venturing into adjacent rivers and lakes if the water is deep enough
Habitat: Coastal waters, coral reefs, large rivers and lakes; at depths of 1-164 meters (usually 1-30 meters)
Diet: Primarily fish; occasionally small mammals and birds, crustaceans, mollusks, sea turtles
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Carcharhinus leucas has a strong tolerance for both brackish and freshwater. Bull sharks found in Lake Nicaragua were once thought to be an endemic species (C. nicaraguensis); however further studies showed them to be conspecific with C. leucas. Tagged specimens from Lake Nicaragua have been found in the surrounding ocean (and vice versa). At least two bull sharks have been spotted in the Mississippi River near Alton, Illinois.