Mathison Museum of Natural History

Species: Cuora trifasciata (Bell, 1825) (golden coin turtle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yowie Group
Series: Wild Water Series
Year of Release: 2019
Size/Scale: Figure length 5.7 cm. Carapace length 4.0 cm for a scale of 1:3.75-1:6.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: US-based Yowie Group revitalized the Yowies lines, creating single-piece figures representing often very rarely-made or unique species. They like to help with conservation efforts and bring attention to vulnerable and endangered species, such as today's golden coin turtle.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southern China (Hainan, Hong Kong)
Habitat: Freshwater streams in temperate and subtropical broadleaf forests
Diet: Fish, frogs, freshwater invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Critically Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Historically, C. trifasciata was common throughout much of southern mainland China. In the past three generations, it is believed the population has dropped by 95%, largely due to habitat destruction and overcollection for the pet trade. It now only occurs in the wild on the islands of Hainan and Hong Kong.

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I haven't commented on your last few models you have presented, but they are all really neat and very educational! And as always your backgrounds are excellent too.

A figure that i search :)

They never have been in Araneidae. Since ever they was considered Tetragnathidae. Some taxonomy-destroyer antiscientifics consider them Nephilidae, but never they went so ridiculous as for include them in Araneidae.

Pardofelis wrote:

They never have been in Araneidae. Since ever they was considered Tetragnathidae. Some taxonomy-destroyer antiscientifics consider them Nephilidae, but never they went so ridiculous as for include them in Araneidae.

Nephila was first placed in Tetragnathidae (from what I can tell) and then to Araneidae. They were elevated to Nephilidae but are now back in Araneidae. If spider taxonomists prefer Nephilidiae, who am I to argue, but I am more likely to follow professional systematic entomologists rather than hobbyists who are afraid to accept taxonomic changes. All current major spider taxonomy resources place them in Araneidae.

Species: Gnathopogon caerulescens (Sauvage, 1883) (willow shiner; Biwa moroko gudgeon)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Freshwater Fish Pictorial Book 2
Year of Release: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length 5.5 cm for a scale of 1:2.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique [as a sculpt]
Miscellaneous Notes: Yujin released their Freshwater Fish collections at least twice (not including a combined box set); I am not sure which mine is from. Neither Yujin figures nor their accompanying papers have the year of production. This fish is attached to a habitat-style by an acrylic rod, from which it is removable.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Lake Biwa, Japan
Habitat: Freshwater lake
Diet: Freshwater invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Gnathopogon caerulescens is endemic to Lake Biwa in Japan. I had trouble researching information on the biology of this species; the dietary information above is based on other members of the genus Gnathopogon.

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Species: Brachypelma smithi (Cambridge, 1897) (Mexican red-kneed tarantula)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Little Wonders
Year of Release: 2009
Size/Scale: Legspan 10.5 cm. Body length (excluding appendages) 5.2 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: Brachypelma smithi is probably the most common species of spider in toy form identifiable at the species level (if not tied with or second to the southern black widow, Latrodectus mactans). This is our second look at it in the Museum. As with many spider figures, the eye arrangement is not correct. The smaller figure in the image is the miniature counterpart of the larger figure; it was released in 2020 as part of the Mini Insects and Spiders collection. All of the figures in the mini collection are simply smaller versions of the standard-sized CollectA figures, often with simpler paint jobs (as seen here). The smaller figure here is a legspan of 5.6 cm and a body length of 2.8 cm for a scale 1:2

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southside of the Balsas River Basin in Guerrero, Mexico
Habitat: Tropical deciduous forests, thornscrub, semi-deserts
Diet: Primarily insects and other arthropods, occasionally small reptiles, amphibians, birds, rodents.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: There is confusion to the identity of spiders referred to as Mexican red-knees, since the description of a cryptic sibling species, B. hamorii, by Cleton and Verdez in 1997. The two species are indistinguishable morphologically and can only be separated by DNA barcoding and strict geographic distribution. In the absence of a figure being specifically ascribed to a given species, I am referring to all figures as the classic B. smithi. Both species are very common in the pet trade (and don't be surprised if the pet store doesn't know which species they are selling).

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Cuddly pet

rogerpgvg wrote:

Cuddly pet

careful, however, they have urticating hairs

Species: Papilio memnon Linnaeus, 1758 (great Mormon)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bandai
Series: Imomushi
Year of Release: 2021
Size/Scale: Body length 11.5 cm for a scale of 2.5:1-2:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: There are three figures in this collection, all the same sculpt representing different species of Papilio. Assembly is required and the final product is articulated. These are not toys, and are probably best for serious and patient collectors who specialize in these taxa. All three species have a retractable osmeterium (a defense organ) that can be exposed by first pulling the head and legs forward, popping out the osmeterium, and then resetting the head (see inset). For this particular figure I am displaying it without the osmeterium (but another species in the set has its osmeterium exposed on my shelves). All three figures also come with a base that allows them to be displayed off the ground (as if on a branch), but I display mine without the base (takes up less space that way).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia
Habitat: Forests, forest clearings, citrus orchards, gardens
Diet: Larvae feed on Citrus; adults take nectar from a variety of flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Papilio memnon is a highly variable species; it has four forms of the adult male and many forms of the adult female (up to 26 have been reported). Sexual dimorphism is also pronounced. The strong polymorphy of this species is believed to be related to Batesian mimicry, with individual populations resembling toxic or distasteful species they share a common range with.

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Really nice

Species: Papilio machaon Linnaeus, 1758 (Old World swallowtail)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Shine-G
Series: Larvae Moei
Year of Release: unknown
Size/Scale: Figure length 4.0 cm. Measured along midline, body length 6.0 cm for a scale of 1:1 for a larger specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: The Larvae Moei figures by Shine-G are stylized strap figures; the strap can be safely unscrewed, leaving a tiny hole. These two figures represent the same sculpt, one with and one without an extended osmeterium.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Holarctic
Habitat: Highly varied, including forests, grasslands, hilltops, Alpine meadows, tundra, wetlands, disturbed areas, gardens
Diet: Larvae feed on primarily on plants in the families Apiaceae (umbillifers), but also Rutaceae (rues); adults take nectar from flowers.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Papilio larvae possess an eversible organ on the prothorax called an osmeterium. It emits a foul odor to deter predaceous insects and spiders. Some papilionid larvae also have large eyespots on their thorax, and it is believed the combination of osmeterium and eyespots also scares away potential predators by mimicking the head and forked tongue of a snake.

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Lovely caterpillars!

Species: Otocolobus manul (Pallas, 1776) (Pallas's cat)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Natural History
Series: Naturally Adorkable
Year of Release: 2016
Size/Scale: Figure is 5.0 cm wide. Scale is difficult to calculate based on its resting position; the head-body length is roughly 8.5 cm for a scale of 1:5.8-1:7
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The Naturally Adorkable collection is made up of resin figures released in conjunction with the Chinese magazine Natural History. The almost all represent unusual taxa of Central Asian and Chinese species (except, surprisingly, for a sloth from South America).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central Asia
Habitat: Rocky steppes, stony outcroppings
Diet: Small rodents, pikas
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Like many wild felines, O. manul is solitary. They spend much of the day resting in crevices, caves, and marmot burrows, and come out at night to hunt. They specialize on small rodents and pikas.

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all the cats are rather cryptic but this one is particulary hard to observe.. even in a cage! :)

A must have

Species: Lepidobatrachus laevis Budgett, 1899 (Budgett's frog; hippo frog)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Ikimon
Series: Nature Techni Colour - Axolotl, Argentine Horned Frog, Red-eyed Tree frog, and Lepidobatrachus Frog
Year of Release: 2018
Size/Scale: Figure height 6.5 cm. Body length 6.0 cm for a scale of 1:1.67
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique [as a sculpt]
Miscellaneous Notes: All of the species in this collection are from Latin America, an interesting theme from a Japanese company. There were two figures of this sculpt in the collection; one as a magnet and one as a strap figure.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay
Habitat: Ephemeral pools in the Gran Chaco
Diet: Aquatic insects, snails, other frogs (including other members of their species)
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: The rhythm of activity of L. laevis is synchonized with the extreme climate changes of the Gran Chaco. During the wet summer, frogs feed and breed in pozos (ephemeral pools), but during the dry winter, they remain dormant underground encased in a protective covering made of layers of unshed skin.

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Nice figure

That is a fantastic set and the hippo frog is among its highlights.

Brilliant model, I love the pose, and it works so so well with your little water-line set up - I can imagine the eyes popping above the surface any second now.

Beautiful model and picture!

I love that beautiful Pallas's cat and the frog is so realistic, he looks alive in the water!