Mathison Museum of Natural History

Programming note: Today is the 100th post on this thread! And I get to celebrate it with a familiar critter I grew up with in the deserts of Arizona:

Species: Aphonopelma chalcodes Chamberlin, 1940 (Arizona blonde tarantula)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: K&M International
Series: Spiders Bulk
Year of Release: 1997
Size/Scale: Legspan 6.5 cm. Carapace length 1.5 cm for a scale of approximately 1:1-1.5:1 for a female (1:1 for a small specimen).
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique to rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure is labeled as 'desert tarantula' and could easily represent one of several Aphonopelma species. Other common names for A. chalcodes are western desert tarantula and desert blonde tarantula. The rarity of this species in toy form depends on the species designation a collector chooses. For example, the large pale tarantula released by Bullyland in 1992 could also easily represent A. chalcodes. Like most spider figures, this one has an incorrect number and arrangement of eyes for the genus and family.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northern Mexico
Habitat: Deserts
Diet: Primarily insects and other arthropods, occasionally small reptiles
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: The breeding season for A. chalcodes is July-September, primarily during the summer monsoon season. Males and females of A. chalcodes usually don't mate until they are at least 10 years old. Males will leave their burrows after summer rains and seek out females. Females molt once a year, loosing the lining of the epigynum (where sperm is stored) in the process. As such, females must mate again after each molt in order to produce fertile eggs.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Interesting.. and attractive display!

Wonderful spider!

Species: Luciola filiformis yayeyamana Matsumura, 1918

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Jám
Series: Miracle of the Earth: The Brilliance of Fireflies
Year of Release: 2005
Size/Scale: The base of the diorama is 6.5 cm wide by 5.0 cm deep. Body length of insect 2.4 cm for a scale of approximately 5:1.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The figure was marketed as L. yayeyamana, which is now considered a subspecies of L. filiformis. I did not photograph this figure is a diorama setting since it comes with its own! The beetle is permanently affixed to the tree stump base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Ishigaki and Iriomote Islands, Yaeyama Archipelago, Japan
Habitat: Forests
Diet: Larvae are terrestrial predators of soft-bodied invertebrates in leaf litter and soil; adults do not feed.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: I had trouble researching information on the biology of this subspecies and attempted to extrapolate information based on the nominate subspecies and related congeners. While the larvae of many of the more familiar Japanese Luciola species are aquatic predators, those of L. filiformis yayeyamana are terrestrial.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

surprising display!

Very interesting!

Species: Cheiromantes haematocheir (De Haan, 1833) (red-clawed crab)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Revogeo
Year of Release: 2019
Size/Scale: Figure width 14.5 cm. Carapace width 5.3 cm for a scale of 2.4:1-1.5:1 (on average, twice natural size)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: Like all of the Revogeo models, this figure is large, heavily-detailed, and articulated. This crab is less-articulated than others in the line to date, with articulations only in the claws and eye stalks.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Asia, including China, Formosa, Taiwan, Korea, Japan
Habitat: Swamps, intertidal mud flats, freshwater creeks, mountain streams
Diet: Omnivore; scavenger primarily on plant but also occasionally animal matter
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: There is a population of C. haematocheir called yama-gani in Japan that lives on mountains 600 meters above sea level. They will return to fresh water to molt and lay eggs, but they spend most of their time on land.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I didn't know there were moutain crabs! :)

Stunning models all! But this crab especially is great.

Another beauty!

A colourful crab

It has a very good face on its shell, complete with blond hair!

Thanks everyone!

Species: Panulirus cygnus George, 1962 (Australian spiny lobster; western spiny lobster)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Series: Yowies Series 1
Year of Release: 1997
Size/Scale: Body length 5.5 cm for a scale of 1:7.3 for a large specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Yowies, assembly is required and the figure is slightly stylized.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Coast of Australia
Habitat: Benthic, at depths of 0-120 meters (usually 0-90 meters)
Diet: Omnivore, including seagrass, coralline algae, and marine invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Panulirus cygnus is a major commercial crustacean in Australia, with an annual catch of 8,000-15,000 metric tons (consisting of a mix of species, but with P. cygnus the major component).

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I would'nt say this model is great but your picture is!

Caracal wrote:

I would'nt say this model is great but your picture is!

Thank you. Not the most realistic model but, for now, a unique species.

Certainly a unique species, and a must have for a synoptic collector!

Species: Thunnus orientalis (Temminck & Schlegel, 1844) (Pacific bluefin tuna)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Colorata
Series: Salt Water Fish
Year of Release: 2015 (2006)
Size/Scale: Body length 11.5 cm for a scale of 1:13-1:26
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was originally released in 2006, but mine is from a re-release in 2015 with a new base. The figure was originally marketed as the Atlantic bluefin tuna (T. thynnus) and is indicated in the accompanying booklet as having a worldwide distribution. However, the Pacific populations are now considered a separate species, with strict T. thynnus limited to the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Since the booklet explicitly states the focus of the collection is the fauna around Japan, it muct be intended to represent T. orientalis. Most figures of bluefin from Japanese companies probably represent T. orientalis. The figure is removable from its base and there is minimal assembly (the pectoral fins need to be attached).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North Pacific Ocean, occasional visitor to the Southern Hemisphere, especially in spring and early summer.
Habitat: Pelagic, at depths of 0-550 meters (usually 0-200 meters)
Diet: Small and medium-sized fish, cephalopods, crustaceans
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Thunnus orientalis is a major part of the commercial fish industry in Japan, where it is caught and raised (aquaculture) for food, most notably for sushi and sashimi. However, it is regarded as Vulnerable due to overfishing in some areas.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Beautiful model and display!

Wow- so realistic!

A nice figure

Species: Myotis formosus (Hodgson, 1835) (Hodgson's bat; copper-winged bat)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Choco Q Animatales Series 6
Year of Release: 2002
Size/Scale: Figure length 4.4 cm. Body length (excluding tail) 3.0 cm, for a scale of 1:1.5 on average
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the older Choco Q figures, some assembly is required

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Widespread but spotty distribution in Central and Southeast Asia and Japan (Tsushima Island)
Habitat: Forests and disturbed areas, roosting in caves, trees, and buildings
Diet: Flying insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Some authorities split M formosus into multiple species based on dentation, cranial morphology, external morphology, and molecular studies. In doing so, M. f. rufoniger, the only subspecies reaching Japan (which this figure probably represents), has been elevated to species status.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]