Mathison Museum of Natural History

Species: Opisthopora, gen. sp. (earthworm, life cycle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Safariology - Life Cycle of an Earthworm
Year of Release: 2015
Size/Scale: The four stages are not in scale with each other. The adult figure is 8.5 cm across its widest points, but measured along the midline it comes to 20.8 cm, which puts it in the scale of 1:1 for some species [scale species-dependent]
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare [earthworms, generally]
Miscellaneous Notes: Earthworms are rarely made, and when they are it is usually for the purpose of novelty toys. Few major companies have tackled them. In addition to this figure, I also have one each by Bullyland and Kaiyodo, and only Kaiyodo marketed theirs at the species level.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Worldwide [individual species more restricted]
Habitat: Leaf litter, soil, compost
Diet: Decaying organic material
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [species-dependent]
Miscellaneous Notes: Earthworms are hermaphroditic, and two worms fertilize each other. Copulation and reproduction are several processes, however, and an individual earthworm regulates the mixing of sperm and egg and can become the genetic mother of some of its offspring and genetic father of others. Some earthworms are parthenogenetic, meaning adults can produce viable eggs without reproduction.

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Wow- so realistic!

Interesting! Why is one of the worms grey and thinner at one end?

rogerpgvg wrote:

Interesting! Why is one of the worms grey and thinner at one end?

I think Safari was trying to convey maturation.

Nice! So I just realise, that I don´t have an earthworm in my collection

realistic models and beautiful display!

Species: Dynastes grantii Horn, 1870 (western Hercules beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Epoch
Series: Flying Beetles
Year of Release: 2004
Size/Scale: Body length (including horns) 6.5 cm, within scale 1:1. Wingspan 11.7 cm.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: Wow, the same species coming up twice in a three-day period! That's the thing about randomness, it could happen! 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: Southwestern United States, northern Mexico
Habitat: Subtropical woodlands, particularly in the pine-oak transition zones, and often in riparian areas.
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting wood of several trees; adults feed on tree sap, primarily of Fraxinus velutina (Arizona ash).
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: While D. grantii has not been formally evaluated by the IUCN, it is considered a 'Species of Greatest Conservation Need' (SGCN) in New Mexico and may be at high risk of endangerment due to the effects of the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis), an Asian buprestid that has become a forestry pest in North America.

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.. and now the flying version!

Beautiful!

Species: Argiope amoena Koch, 1878 (garden spider; kogane-gumo)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bandai
Series: Figure Pictorial Book of Gakken Insect
Year of Release: 2003
Size/Scale: Web base 6.2 cm long. Body length 2.0 cm, within scale 1:1. Carapace width 0.6 cm, which also calculates to 1:1 scale
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: For the longest time this figure was unique, until late 2020 when Kaiyodo produced A. amoena in their Kumucolle! collection within the Capsule Q Museum line. This Bandai figure sits upon a web-style base; it does not appear to be safely removable the base (but I dare not try too hard for fear of breakage). A small hymenopteran prey is painted on the underside of the web! The Kaiyodo figure, having been recently released at the time of this writing, is more readily available and is much more realistic.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Asia, Japan; invasive in Hawaii
Habitat: Forests, fields and clearings with patches of dense vegetation, rice paddies, gardens
Diet: Flying insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Many orb-weavers spin zig-zag patterns into their webs, called stabilimenta. The purpose of the stabilimenta is not fully understood, but theories include 1) stability of the web, 2) attracting insect prey, 3) discourage birds from flying through them, or 4) enhance detection of vibrations when potential prey becomes stuck in the web. The true function is probably visual, since only diurnal araneids produce stabilimenta.

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Very beautiful Argiope on its web!

Very cool

Very interesting with the web!

I also love to learn these details about the web. Everything has an explanation and Nature is still full of misteries.

Species: †Pteraspis rostrata (Agassiz, 1835)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Dinotales Series 2
Year of Release: 2001
Size/Scale: Body length (including rostrum) 9.0 cm for a scale of 1:2.22
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Dinotales figures, some assembly is required. The figure is removeable from its base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Lower Devonian of modern-day Europe
Habitat: Pelagic
Diet: Marine invertebrates, small vertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Pteraspis rostrata did not have pectoral fins, but did have lateral growths that are believed to have functioned like hydrofoils for propulsion in water. The tail had a longer lower lobe, which would give the animal an upwards lift, suggesting a pelagic lifestyle rather than benthic.

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A beauty, I would love to see more unusual species by Kaiyodo !

Species: Hyalessa maculaticollis (Motschulsky, 1866) (min-min cicada)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Insects of Japan Vol. 1
Year of Release: 2001
Size/Scale: Figure length (including wings) 5.7 cm. Body length (excluding wings) 3.2 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This species is usually marketed as Oncotympana maculaticollis. Some assembly is required. It is believed the Insects of Japan figures are cast from actual specimens, so they are all in the 1:1 scale.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: China, eastern Russia, Korean Peninsula, Japan
Habitat: Forests, gardens
Diet: Nymphs feed on subterranean plant roots; adults drink sap from trees
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Hyalessa maculaticollis spends on average three years underground as a nymph.

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Those Yujin ... how stupid I was 15 years ago

It is a wonderful model and a great pic Blaine

Kikimalou wrote:

Those Yujin ... how stupid I was 15 years ago

It is a wonderful model and a great pic Blaine

Thanks. They still pop up on eBay, so there is still time to get them...

Unbelievable

Species: Allomyrina dichotoma (Linnaeus, 1771) (Japanese rhinoceros beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.
Series: B.I.G. Insects; B.I.G. Beetles
Year of Release: 2015, 2017
Size/Scale: Body length (including horn) 11.0 cm for a scale of 2.75:1-1.4:1 (on average, roughly twice natural size)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very common
Miscellaneous Notes: Allomyrhina dichotoma is the most-represented species in my collection, and this is the second time we've seen it in the Museum. These two figures represent the same sculpt, produced multiple times by Takara. The figure on the right is the 2015 release in the B.I.G. Insects collection; the one on the left is the 2017 release in the B.I.G. Beetles collection. Takara prints the year under the left elytron so it's easy to tell which is which. Some assembly is required and the figures are loosely articulated.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia, including China, Korea, Taiwan, and Japan
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical hardwood forests
Diet: Larvae feed on organic detritus in soil; adults are attracted to sap flows
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Large scarabaeoid beetles spend most of their lives underground as larvae. The developmental cycle for A. dichotoma is roughly a year, from egg to adult. As adults, they live for only about four months and die after mating and oviposition.

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very realistic scene!