Araneae - SPIDERS!

[brontodocus]

Walk-around of the Science and Nature Animals of Australia (Small Replicas) Huntsman, properly a Giant Sydney Huntsman Spider, Holconia (formerly Isopeda) immanis (L. Koch, 1867). Body length (excluding chelicerae) is 39 mm, scale is about life size, approx. 1:0.8 - 1:1.2 for a female. The colouration is very good and allows for the identification to species level. The ventral side shows an epigyne and air sac openings, something rarely ever captured in a spider figure. However the figure has only six eyes instead of eight which is a bit sad since the arrangements of eyes is very distinctive (and easy to make, two transversal rows of four, that's all) in Sparassidae.
Here's a link to the figure at Science and Nature's website: http://www.scienceandnature.com.au/Animals-of-Australia_3/Small-Replicas/Huntsman-10











Edit 2017-02-07: Fixed broken image urls.

[Jetoar]

Is the first time that I see this specie of spider. thanks for sharing friend again  .

[Ana]

Wow, impressive figure! I don't collect spider figures but this one has something what makes it looking almost alive, it's wonderful. 

[bmathison1972]

Walk-around of the European wolf spider, Lycosa tarantula (Linnaeus, 1758) by Papo! This figure is sold under the English name, tarantula, a name typically reserved in English these days for mygalomorphs of the family Theraphosidae. However, this guy is the 'original tarantula', as indicated by its species epithet. Insect folklore, or so I remember, states that it was believed that if one was bitten by this spider, that individual would suffer from tarantism that can be cured by dancing the tarantella!

The figure. WOW. This is Papo's first arthropod, which means it's my first Papo figure (for those of you aware of my taxonomic specialties). It is my sixth wolf spider figure (including two versions by Bullyland, and one each by Takara TOMY, Funrise Toys, and Play Visions) and it is by far the BEST. The proportions, eye arrangement, joints, color are all spot-on. I do not know much about sexing spiders so I cannot tell its gender, but at 50 mm (body length), it is 1.67:1 for a large female and 2.5:1 for a large male.

The cephalothorax and abdomen are firm but the legs are quite soft and movable (but not posable).

I encourage everyone to go out and buy one! Not only because it's an amazing figure, but the success of sales could dictate whether or not Papo continues to make arthropods  (they are releasing a scorpion this year as well). Given Papo's flare for the dramatic, they are likely to focus on stingers and biters.

[Newt]

Very nice figure! It's a female. Spiders are easy to sex - males almost always have enlarged pedipalps, like little boxing gloves.

[sbell]

Pretty cool figure, but I don't think I'm going to get drawn in on spiders now!

[brontodocus]

Ah, brilliant! By the way, mine should be here within a few hours. So many good things to say about this figure, the leg joints seem to be correct, there's a nice texture suggesting an allover dense setation of body and legs and the position of the eyes - a key character in identifying spiders to family level - is correct, too. I'd agree with Newt, the figure obviously represents a female (well, most other spider figures do, too).

[bmathison1972]

Very nice figure! It's a female. Spiders are easy to sex - males almost always have enlarged pedipalps, like little boxing gloves.

Ah yes! I knew about the palps! LOL. I also figured a female because of its more robust size (if I remember correctly, male lycosids can be rather slender)

[bmathison1972]

Pretty cool figure, but I don't think I'm going to get drawn in on spiders now!

C'mon Sean...feel the power of the Dark Side!  LOL

[bmathison1972]

Walk-around of Adanson's house spider, Hasarius adansoni (Audouin, 1826) by Kaiyodo, Sticky Tack Insect Set (2016). Hasarius adansoni is circumtropical in distribution, occurring throughout much of the world in warmer climates, including Japan (hence its appearance in a Capsule Q Museum collection). It is an anthropophilic species and often occurs in and around human habitations. The species is sexually-dimorphic and this figure is a male!

This is a unique figure to date (only figure of the species made) and only the third jumping spider (Salticidae) I am familiar with. The others are a large figure by Safari LTD. (Hidden Kingdom Insects) and Cadbury (Yowies-Australian release), neither of which where sold or marketed to represent a specific species.

The figure is 24 mm (without appendages), making it nearly 5:1 for an adult male. It is a solid, well-constructed plastic. The bottom has a plastic receptacle designed to hold 'sticky tack' so the figure can be affixed to vertical surfaces such as walls (as were all figures in the series). This receptacle is removable, easily snapping in and out (I took mine out--see the ventral shot below). The paint job is good, and as previously mentioned, clearly represents a male (females are more solid drab gray-brown, without contrasting abdominal markings). The eye arrangement seems accurate and even the book lungs are sculpted on the bottom.

A must for all animal collectors; spiders are common as generic toys but realistic figures attributable to exact species are not quite as common as one might expect. On to the images:

[brontodocus]

Wonderful, and a must have for me, too! When it comes to spider figures I'm always worried about if they got the position of the eyes right (because eye position is a key character in identifying spider families). But, hey, it's Kaiyodo, and just as expected they did a good job on the eyes, too.

[bmathison1972]

SPIDERS!

It's time to start a thread for this taxonomically diverse group! Spiders (order Araneae) are very common as toys, but more commonly so as generic or novelty toys (e.g., Halloween props) than they are for figures attributable to a given taxon.

I am starting this thread off with the smaller figures, namely to have multiple figures per image and promote species diversity. In a few cases, the Latin names presented are based on my hypotheses.

SIDE NOTE:  Several below are marked with 'UNK' as the manufacturer. These are from an unknown manufacturer whose figures are based heavily on the Club Earth and Play Visions spiders. They are good models for their size, not as glossy as the CE or PV figures, but still marked with the same common names (you'll see some comparisons below). They are marked with letters though rather than numbers. If anyone knows who made them, please chime in! They are not marked with TM, PV, K&M or any other known logo (I wonder if they were just re-releases?). A similar phenomenon has occurred with caterpillars and I assume other groups...

On to the figures:

Family Liphistiidae (segmented spiders)

1. Ryuthela nishihirai (Kaiyodo – ChocoQ Animatales, Okinawa)



Family Theraphosidae (hairy mygalomorphs, a.k.a. 'tarantulas')

left to right, top to bottom:

1. brown tarantula, Aphonopelma hentzi (Safari LTD – Venomous Creatures TOOB)
2. desert tarantula, Aphonopelma chalcodes (K&M International – Spiders Bulk)
3. Costa Rican zebra tarantula, Aphonopelma seemanni (Play Visions – Habitat Earth: Tarantulas and Spiders)
4. A. seemanni (UNK)



left to right, top to bottom:

1. Mexican red-kneed tarantula, Brachypelma smithi (Safari LTD - Authentics Insects)
2. B. smithi (Kaiyodo - Toxic and Dangerous Animals)
3. B. smithi (Play Visions - Habitat Earth: Tarantulas and Spiders)
4. red-rump tarantula, Brachypelma vagans (Furuta – ChocoEgg Funny Animals Series 1)



left to right, top to bottom:

1. Indian ornamental tarantula, Poecilotheria regalis (Play Visions - Habitat Earth: Tarantulas and Spiders)
2. cobalt blue tarantula,Haplopelma lividum (Club Earth – Spiders to Go)
3. African baboon spider, Pelinobius muticus (K&M International – Spiders Bulk)
4. H. lividum (Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. – Venomous Spiders)



Family Ctenizidae (trapdoor spiders)

left to right:

1. trapdoor spider, gen. sp. (Cadbury – Yowies, UK Series 1)
2. trapdoor spider, gen. sp. (Funrise Toys – World of Nature Insect Collection)



Family Dipluridae (funnelweb spiders)

All representing the Sydney funnelweb spider, Atrax robustus; left to right, top to bottom:

1. Science and Nature (Animals of Australia)
2. Cadbury (Yowies – Series 2)
3. Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. (Venomous Spiders)
4. Cadbury (Yowies – UK Series 1)



Family Mecicobothriidae (sheet funnel-web spiders).

One figure, Megahexura fulva by Club Earth (Spiders to Go).



Family Atypidae (purseweb spiders)

left to right:

1. purseweb spider, Sphodros rufipes (Club Earth – Spiders to Go)
2. purseweb spider, Sphodros rufipes (UNK)



Family Scytodidae (spitting spiders)

left to right:

1. spitting spider, Scytodes thoracica (Club Earth – Spiders to Go)
2. S. thoracica (UNK)



Family Theraphosidae (cobweb weavers, widows)

First image, all southern black widows, Latrodectus mactans; left to right, top to bottom:

1. Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. (Venomous Spiders)
2. K&M International (Spiders Bulk)
3. Play Visions (Habitat Earth: Tarantulas and Spiders)
4. Discovery Channel (Deadly Kiss: Poisonous Animals)
5. UNK (this figure is actually marked 'red widow' as they probably used the sculpt of L. bishopi, below, as the basis for this figure, although the leg positions are different in my two figures)



left to right, top to bottom:

1. redback spider, Latrodectus hasseltii (Science and Nature – Animals of Australia)
2. L. hasseltii (Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. – Venomous Spiders)
3. katipo, Latrodectus katipo (Cadbury – Yowies Series 2)
4. red widow, Latrodectus bishopi (UNK)
5. malmignatte, Latrodectus tredecimguttatus (Funrise Toys – World of Nature Insect Collection)



Family Araneidae (orb-weavers)

left to right, top to bottom:

1.garden spider, gen. sp. (Wicked Cool Toys – Wild Kratts Creature Power Pack, Crawlers)
2. leaf-rolling spider, Phonognatha graeffei (Cadbury – Yowies Series 4)
3. black-and-yellow argiope, Argiope aurantia (Play Visions – Habitat Earth: Tarantulas and Spiders)
4. spiny orb-weaver, Gasteracantha cancriformis (K&M International – Spiders Bulk)
5. garden spider, Argiope amoena (Bandai – Figure Pictorial Book of Gakken Insect)
6. St. Andrew's cross spider, Argiope keyserlingi (K&M International – Spiders Bulk)



Family Tetragnathidae (long-jawed orb-weavers)

1. Mabel orchard spider, Leucauge venusta (K&M International – Spiders Bulk)



Family Pisauridae (nursery web, raft spiders)

1. raft spider, Dolomedes sp. (UNK)



Family Oxyopidae (lynx spiders)

left to right:

1. green lynx spider, Peucetia viridans (Play Visions – Habitat Earth: Tarantulas and Spiders)
2. P. viridans (UNK)



Family Lycosidae (wolf spiders)

left to right, top to bottom:

1. European wolf spider, Lycosa tarantula (Papo – Wild Animals)
2. wolf spider, gen. sp. (Funrise Toys – World of Nature Insect Collection)
3. cave spider, gen. sp. (Safari LTD – Cave Dwellers TOOB)—this is included here because there is a general thought that this probably represents the Kaua'i cave wolf spider, Adelocosa anops
4. L. tarantula (Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. – Venomous Spiders)
5. wolf spider, gen. sp. (Club Earth – Spiders to Go)


Family Eutichuridae (sac spiders)

1. sac spider, Cheiracanthium japonicum (Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. – Venomous Spiders)



Family Sparassidae (giant crab spiders)

left to right:

1.giant Sydney huntsman spider, Holcomia immanis (Science and Nature – Animals of Australia)



2. green huntsman spider, Micrommata virescens (Bullyland)



Family Thomisidae (crab spiders)

left to right, top to bottom:

1. crab spider, Diaea variabilis (Cadbury – Yowies Series 3)
2. crab spider, Misumena sp. (Club Earth – Spiders to Go)
3. crab spider, Thomisius sp. (UNK)
4. crab spider, gen. sp. (UNK)
5. crab spider, gen. sp. (UNK)


Family Salticidae (jumping spiders)

left to right:

1. jumping spider, gen. sp. (Cadbury – Yowies Series 5)
2. Adanson's house spider, Hasarius adansoni (Kaiyodo – Sticky Tack Insect Set)



Family Eresidae (velvet spiders)

1. velvet spider, Eresus kollari (Bullyland)

adult image

Family Dinopidae (ogre-faced spiders)

1. ogre-faced spider, Deinopus rubrufus (Cadbury – Yowies Series 4)

[stargatedalek]

SIDE NOTE:  Several below are marked with 'UNK' as the manufacturer. These are from an unknown manufacturer whose figures are based heavily on the Club Earth and Play Visions spiders. They are good models for their size, not as glossy as the CE or PV figures, but still marked with the same common names (you'll see some comparisons below). They are marked with letters though rather than numbers. If anyone knows who made them, please chime in! They are not marked with TM, PV, K&M or any other known logo (I wonder if they were just re-releases?). A similar phenomenon has occurred with caterpillars and I assume other groups...

I have a lot of coral reef fish that I can only assume are in the same boat. No noticeable downgrade in quality from the PV figures, just no logo. They were also sold alongside the real deal (crabs, sharks, and nudibranchs that were actually marked with PV).

[bmathison1972]

SIDE NOTE:  Several below are marked with 'UNK' as the manufacturer. These are from an unknown manufacturer whose figures are based heavily on the Club Earth and Play Visions spiders. They are good models for their size, not as glossy as the CE or PV figures, but still marked with the same common names (you'll see some comparisons below). They are marked with letters though rather than numbers. If anyone knows who made them, please chime in! They are not marked with TM, PV, K&M or any other known logo (I wonder if they were just re-releases?). A similar phenomenon has occurred with caterpillars and I assume other groups...

I have a lot of coral reef fish that I can only assume are in the same boat. No noticeable downgrade in quality from the PV figures, just no logo. They were also sold alongside the real deal (crabs, sharks, and nudibranchs that were actually marked with PV).

yes, I have similarly-produced crabs as well!

[Beetle guy]

Nice collection Blaine!

[brontodocus]

Yay, finally we have a spider thread! I had been thinking about one, too, but honestly I have only a fraction of those figures. The liphistiid was a must have for me, of course.

[Jetoar]

Deinopus rubrufus is wonderful  .

[AcroSauroTaurus]

My only spider, the scorpion is there because these are my only arachnids.

Figures:
Safari Ltd. Venomous Creatures Toob Brown Tarantula
Safari Ltd. Venomous Creatures Toob Fat-tailed Scorpion

[BlueKrono]

My arachnids

[brontodocus]

AoA Huntsman photos are back.