Mathison Museum of Natural History

Ah the longnose gar, an excellent fish species. Lovely photos figures all!

I saw it too, and hopefully I can add this one to my collection

Programming note: I have updated the first post to describe in better detail the selection process and how I calculate scale. Enjoy!

Species: Phoebis philea (Linnaeus, 1763) (orange-barred sulfur)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Authentics Butterflies
Year of Release: 1997
Size/Scale: Wingspan 6.5 cm, making it slightly under 1:1 in scale
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This species is not commonly made, and those on the market are nearly all by Safari Ltd., who has produced this species four times. The Authentics figures are a bit stylized, but popular with collectors.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southern United States, south to Brazil
Habitat: Forest edges, fields, gardens, roadsides
Diet: Larvae feed on legumes in the genus Cassia; adults feed on nectar
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A (NatureServe status: Secure)
Miscellaneous Notes: Orange-barred sulfurs take up water from damp soil (refered to as 'puddling'), often in large groups with other species of sulfur butterflies.

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Interesting info, thank you!

Nice butterfly

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

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Epoch
Series: Flying Beetles
Year of Release: 2005
Size/Scale: Body + mandible length 7.5 cm, for a scale of about 1:1.5 for a large specimen. Wingspan of the figure is 10.5 cm.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is another species that has become a standard among Japanese companies, and I have several examples of it. There is some assembly required for this figure. It attaches to a habitat-style base with a black plastic rod, from which it is removable.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Much of 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: One of the largest species in a very speciose genus, P. giraffa is popular with collectors and breeders.

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Species: Macropodus ocellatus Cantor, 1842 (round-tailed paradise fish)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Freshwater Fish Pictorial Book 1
Year of Release: Unknown
Size/Scale: Body length 5.0 cm, within scale of 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was originally marketed as M. opercularis, but the morphology better supports M. ocellatus. Yujin released their Freshwater Fish series twice; I think mine is from the first release (sbell can confirm or deny). In later releases, Yujin corrected the ID to M. ocellatus. The figure is single-piece of plastic and comes with a habitat-style base from which it can be removed..

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Native to Southeast Asia, including Korea and China; introduced to Japan and Amur Basin, Russia
Habitat: Freshwater, including streams, backwaters of large rivers, lakes, irrigation channels, rice paddys, and ditches.
Diet: Freshwater invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: This species is popular in the aquaria trade.


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Lovely models, and fantastic photos

Species: Lophorina superba (Pennant, 1781) (greater superb bird-of-paradise)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Arboreum Artwork
Series: 1:10 Animals
Year of Release: Unknown (c. 2018)
Size/Scale: Body length approx. 4.0 cm, for a scale of 1:6.5. Base is 3.5 cm. Breadth of courtship display 4.5 cm
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is a resin figure made by forum member Panji Zulkaisar out of Indonesia. Most figures in the collection are around 1:10 in scale. This figure cannot be removed from its base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indonesia and Papua New Guinea
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Primarily fruit and insects, but also small birds, reptiles, and amphibians
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: This species is known for its elaborate courtship displays. And still, the average female rejects 15-20 potential suitors before deciding on a mate!

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Another interesting species and I love the fun facts included in the 'Miscellaneous Notes' with all your species!

Ohhh, so beautyful
It must be terribly fragile, though

Stunning bird of paradise, what a marvelous model.

Species: Kinyongia xenorhina (Boulenger, 1901) (strange-horned chameleon)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yowie Group
Series: Rescue Series
Year of Release: 2017
Size/Scale: Figure length 6.3 cm. Snout to vent 4.5 cm for a scale roughly 1:2.4
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The Rescue Series featured animals that are at risk due to habitat loss.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Ruwenzori Mountains of Uganda and the DRC
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Insects and other small invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: The nasal protuberance that gives this critter its common name is more pronounced in the males, as several chameleons exhibit marked sexual dimorphism.

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Lovely model of an endangered species!

Species: Gelasimus tetragonon (Herbst, 1790) (tetragonal fiddler crab)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.
Series: 3D Capsule Encyclopedia - Crustaceans
Year of Release: unknown
Size/Scale: Width of figures 5.5 cm. Carapace width 2.0 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Neither of these figures were in the original set released by Yujin. The male was in the basic set released by Takara and the female was 'Secret A'. The large claw of the male has one point of articulation.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-Pacific
Habitat: Intertidal mud flats and sandy beaches, often among rocks and corals at mid-tide
Diet: Filamentous green algae, rarely predaceous on other crabs
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other fiddler crabs, this species exhibits extreme sexual dimorphism, with the male having one claw greatly enlarged.

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Yowie chameleon is lovely figure..

very beautiful and interesting!

Another great species and I love the background!

Thanks everyone!!!

Species: Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus, 1758) (monarch, larva)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Smithsonian Insects
Year of Release: 1996
Size/Scale: Figure length 9.0 cm. Measured along the midline 10.0 cm for a scale of 2:1 for a large, mature larva.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is probably the most commonly-made butterfly at the species level; Safari Ltd. has made it at least five times! At the time of this writing, I have 17 examples, and that doesn't include the figure Papo is expected to release this year.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North, Central, and South America, the Caribbean, the Azores, Canary Islands, North Africa, Australia, the Philippines, and South Pacific islands; rare stray to the United Kingdom
Habitat: Fields, forests, gardens, disturbed areas
Diet: Larvae feed on milkweeds in the family Apocynaceae, most commonly members of the genus Asclepias; adults take nectar from a variety of flowers
NatureServe Status (at time of posting): Apparently Secure
Miscellaneous Notes: Populations in the northern North America are known for their long annual migrations to Florida, southern California, and Mexico in the late summer/fall.

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Some people have been curious about frequency of what non-arthropods or other taxa might come up. I created pie charts showing percentages of major taxa, and taxa within arthropods. I did not include actual numbers (I am not one to bring attention to the number of figures I have). Also, when I started my Syntomic Collection, I thinned out the arthropods, keeping only those identifiable to the genus or species level.


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Very interesting pie charts and I can definitely see that Anthropods are a favourite of yours to collect!

Bonnie wrote:

Very interesting pie charts and I can definitely see that Anthropods are a favourite of yours to collect!

Yeah, arthropods are not synoptic LOL. For example, there are two species of beetle where I have 40-45 figures each LOL.