Mathison Museum of Natural History

A wonderful serie

Species: Apalopteron familiare (Kittlitz, 1830)
Common name(s): Bonin white-eye

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Natural Monuments of Japan
Year of Production: 2003
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 7.0 cm for a scale of 1:1.7-1:2
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Some assembly is required (the legs of the bird are permanently affixed to the fruit base). Kaiyodo also produced this species for the Chocoegg Animatales line and Kitan Club produced it for their Osagawara collection in the Nature Techni Colout line.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan (Bonin Islands)
Habitat: Lowland evergreen and broadleaf forests, forest edges, plantations, gardens; breeding usually occurs in undisturbed forest with bamboo, large trees and shrubs, and tree ferns
Diet: Fruit, seeds, flowers, nectar, insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Like many white-eyes, Apalopteron familiare has a restricted distribution on certain Pacific Islands. The bird was once found on all major groups of islands in the Bonin chain, including the Mukojima Group, the Chichijima Group, and the Hahajima, but is currently restricted to Hahajima Island and two nearby islands. It's disappearance from several islands is due to habitat destruction and predation by introduced cats and rats and possibly competition with introduced warbling white-eyes. Apalopteron is a monotypic genus containing only the Bonin white-eye. Molecular analysis in 2019 showed that Apalopteron is nested within the white-eye genus Heleia, but avian nomenclatural authorities do not recognize this combination as of yet.

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A figure from one of the best ever

Very beautiful species and model!

This model is spectacular , beautiful bird.

landrover wrote:

This model is spectacular , beautiful bird.

Thanks; it's one of my favorite bird figures!

Species: Mantis religiosa (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): praying mantis; European mantis

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Hidden Kingdom Insects
Year of Production: 2000
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 11.5 cm for a scale of 2.3:1-1.5:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the third time we've seen M. religiosa in the Museum. Wires in the prothorax and front legs allow the figure to be oriented into slightly different postures. This figure was a follow-up to the Smithsonian Insects praying mantis produced in 1995, which was larger and not bendable.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southern Europe, Asia, North Africa; introduced to Australia and North America
Habitat: Forests, grasslands, agricultural fields, disturbed areas, parks, gardens; usually in areas with shrubby vegetation
Diet: Insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Mantis religiosa is an ambush predator and will pounce on any potential passing prey, within a manageable size, using its raptorial front legs. Cannibalism is common.

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I didn't know that figure could adopt different postures.
I must check if you already posted the new Papo to see if it is a lifesized one.

Roger wrote:

I didn't know that figure could adopt different postures.
I must check if you already posted the new Papo to see if it is a lifesized one.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - it's not in this thread yet, but I reviewed it on the Blog and calculated it as 1:1 for a large female or slightly larger than 1:1 for a male.

bmathison1972 wrote:

Roger wrote:

I didn't know that figure could adopt different postures.
I must check if you already posted the new Papo to see if it is a lifesized one.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - it's not in this thread yet, but I reviewed it on the Blog and calculated it as 1:1 for a large female or slightly larger than 1:1 for a male.

Thanks, I checked the blog entry and those are good news. A female is what we expect from a Mantis. There is a a very good picture to count the abdominal segments. Apparently they are 6 so it is a female, it should be 8 for a male. Could you check it please, I'm not sure I'm doing it right.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - the Papo mantis has 8 abdominal segments; also is longer and slender with longer wings, so probable a male


Next up:


Species: Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): monarch; milkweed butterfly

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Series: Yowies UK Series 1; Yowies Series 5
Years of Production: 1997; 2000
Size/Scale: Wingspan of both figures approximately 6.0 cm for a scale of 1:1.4-1:1.8
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the ninth time we have seen D. plexippus in the Museum. The figure on the right was produced by Cadbury for the first UK Yowies series in 1997; it is a solid piece of plastic. The figure on the left was produced by Cadbury for the fifth Australian Yowies series in 2000; assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North, Central, and South America, the Caribbean, the Azores, Canary Islands, North Africa, Australia, Philippines, and South Pacific islands; rare stray to the United Kingdom
Habitat: Fields, forests, parks, gardens, disturbed areas
Diet: Larvae feed on milkweeds in the family Apocynaceae, especially members of the genus Asclepias; adults take nectar from a variety of flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Populations of D. plexippus in Australia are believed to be descended from butterflies that arrived from Hawaii in the late 1800s; it was first reported breeding in Australia in 1871. Populations in Hawaii are believed to have arrived there in 1845 from mainland North or Central America.

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bmathison1972 wrote:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - the Papo mantis has 8 abdominal segments; also is longer and slender with longer wings, so probable a male

Thanks! so I think it is relatively safe to assume it is a male then.

Species: Austruca lactea (De Haan, 1835)
Common name(s): milky fiddler crab

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Wing Mau
Series: Aquatic Museum
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Carapace width 2.5 cm for a scale of 2.7:1-1.3:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: There are six figures in the Aquatic Museum collection, each representing a different species of Japanese crab. Each comes with a flat habitat-style base (see inset); the six bases connect to form a larger base incorporating different habitats for each of the species in the set (see here. The only other figure of this species I am aware of was produced by Epoch for their Earth Life Journey Crabs and Shrimp collections.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Pacific
Habitat: Upper intertidal mudflats
Diet: Organic matter in sediment, carrion (including conspecifics)
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: A 2016 study looking at nuclear 28S rDNA, the mitochondrial 16S rRNA, and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (cox I) resulted in dividing the species-rich genus Uca (104 species) into 11 genera that fall within two subfamilies. In this new classification, Austruca appears basal within Gelasiminae, which also contains the genera Paraleptuca, Cranuca, Gelasimus, Xeruca, Minuca, Leptuca, Petruca, and Tubuca. Uca sens. str. and Afruca are in the subfamily Ocypodinae along with the ghost crabs (Ocypode).

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Species: Triakis semifasciata Girard, 1855
Common name(s): leopard shark

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Sealife
Year of Production: 2007
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 14.0 cm for an average scale of 1:8.6-1:11.4 or 1:14 for a maximum-sized specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is Safari's second standard-sized leopard shark, following the original WS Sealife figure from 1997.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Coast of North America, from Oregon to Baja California
Habitat: Coastal bays, estuaries, kelp forests, rocky reefs; at depths of 0-156 meters
Diet: Benthic marine invertebrates, small fish (including young sharks), fish eggs
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Triakis semifasciata is gregarious and travels in schools that are usually segregated based on size and sex. Leopard sharks may travel with other chondrichthyians, such as bat rays and smoothhound sharks.

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Wonderful model and picture!

Species: Macropinna microstoma Chapman, 1939
Common name(s): barreleye; spookfish

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Colorata
Series: Deep Sea Fish
Year of Production: 2015
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 6.5 cm for a scale of 1:1.5-1:2.3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Some assembly is required (and getting the transparent cap over the head isn't an easy task) and the fish is removable from its base. This species wasn't in the original 2009 release of this collection. I am aware of at least three other figures of this species, one by Takara Tomy A.R.T.S and two by Kaiyodo (although the two Kaiyodo figures may use the same, if not very similar, sculpts).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North Pacific; from the Bering Sea to Japan in the West and Baja California in the East
Habitat: Mesopelagic to bathypelagic, at depths of 16-1,267 meters (commonly 600-800 meters)
Diet: Small fish, cnidarians; possible kleptoparasite on siphonophores
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Macropinna microstoma is best known for the transparent, fluid-filled shield on its head. Within the shield, the fish possesses two tubular eyes which can be rotated from dorsally-directed to rostrally-directed positions. The unique structure of the eyes is believed to enhance the fish's ability to perceive and capture prey in dim light and the shield may provide eye protection from the stinging tentacles of cnidarians that the barreleye feeds on.

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So strange!

Species: Plecotus auritus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): brown long-eared bat; common long-eared bat

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Papo
Series: Wild Animals
Year of Production: 2018
Size/Scale: Wingspan of figure as positioned approximately 10.5 cm. Using forearm length as a metric (n=2.0 cm), scale comes to 1:1.8-1:2.1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: I originally had the Kaiyodo figure to represent this species, but now that the Japanese population is considered a separate species, I was able to obtain the Papo model.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Europe, east to the Ural and Caucasus Mountains
Habitat: Boreal evergreen, deciduous, and mixed woodlands, orchards, parks, gardens, human habitations; roosting usually occurs in hollow trees, caves, barns, stables, mineshafts, under roofs, lofts, and underground crevices
Diet: Insects, especially moths
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Like many other bats, P. auritus can echolocation to detect prey. The frequencies used by the species lie between 27–56 kHz, have most energy at 35 kHz and have an average duration of 2.5 ms. However, unlike most bats, P. auritus is capable by hunting by sound alone and doesn't rely solely on echolocation.

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I have this guy!

That bat is such a cool model, and the leopard shark is lovely. The barreleye is such a crazy animal, very cool to have a figure of it!!

I love this bat figure, it is very realistic looking and it also offers an organic sensorial experience. Superb model in my opinion.

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

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Epoch
Series: Flying Beetles
Year of Production: 2004
Size/Scale: Wingspan approximately 11.0 cm. Body length (including mandibles) approximately 6.6 cm, within scale 1:1 and closer to 1:1.2 for a large major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is our seventh look at L. maculifemoratus in the Museum. Some assembly is required and the beetle can be removed from its base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northeast Asia, including China, Taiwan, Korean Peninsula, eastern Russia, 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: As major male lucanid beetles get larger in size and possess larger mandibles, there is an inverse effect in the efficiency of locomotion. Flight is also costly, due to the added weight, but not nearly as high as walking. As such, flying is still the most efficient means to get to females and breeding sites. A 2015 study using Cyclommatus showed that while walking is 40% more costly, a major male, even with heavy armature, must deliver 26% more mechanical work to fly. Interestingly, the extra work is due to the weight; not size or shape of the mandibles.

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