Mathison Museum of Natural History

Species: Halocynthia roretzi (von Drashe, 1884) (sea pineapple)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Michinoku Figure Collection
Year of Production: 2005
Size/Scale: Bottlecap base 3.4 cm in diameter. Animal height 4.0 cm for a scale of approximately 1:3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This is one of only two species of tunicates I am aware of that have been made into a toy or figure, the other being the deep sea predatory species Megalodicopia hians. Today's figure was part of a set that featured items of Japanese culture, and not just animals. Some assembly is required. The animal is removable from its habitat base, leaving a peg on the bottom, and the base is removable from the bottlecap.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Pacific (Korea, Japan)
Habitat: Coastal, benthic
Diet: Filter feeder on plankton and detritus
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: While Halocynthia roretzi gets its common name from its morphologic resemblence to a pineapple, it is itself edible and is eaten in Korea (meongge) and Japan (hoya, maboya).

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very beautiful model and display!

Species: Xantusia bezyi Papenfuss, Macey, et Schulte, 2001 (Bezy's night lizard)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Wing Mau
Series: Lizards
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Figure length 12.0 cm. Snout-to-vent length 5.5 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique (as a sculpt)
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure is marked as the 'Arizona night lizard' which usually implies X. arizonae. The figure was probably produced before the description of X. bezyi (or at least before the new species gained widespread familiarity); however, the paint job on this figure better supports X. bezyi among the Arizona species (see below). The sculpt of this figure isn't super accurate for a night lizard, as it should have a more elongate snout. This figure was also released by Club Earth in their Lizards to Go collection.

EDIT September 4, 2021: There is a second color version of this figure that is painted like typical X. arizonae. I have recently acquired this figure and will review it some day.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central Arizona
Habitat: Desert highlands, pine woodlands; usually around granite outcroppings
Diet: Arthropods
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Prior to 2001, described species of Xanthusia from Arizona included the desert night lizard (X. vigilis) and the Arizona night lizard (X. arizonae), the latter of which is sometimes considered a subspecies of the former. In 2001, X. bezyi was described from central Arizona based on molecular, morphologic, and ecological data. Among the morphologic features that helps distinguish X. bezyi are the larger maculae on a frequently orangish background (as seen in this figure by Wing Mau). True X. arizonae and X. vigilis have smaller maculae that are arranged in somewhat irregular and disorganized rows. It is quite possible that this figure was modeled after a specimen of X. arizonae that would eventually be regarded as X. bezyi. Interestingly, this figure could also be patterned after the granite night lizard (X. henshawi); however, that species occurs in southern California and northern Baja California, and wouldn't be expected in Arizona.

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Interesting! I have the Wing Mau lizard as well! I didn’t know that it is now no longer classified as “Arizona Night Lizard”. Interesting!

Birdsage wrote:

Interesting! I have the Wing Mau lizard as well! I didn’t know that it is now no longer classified as “Arizona Night Lizard”. Interesting!

It's still fine to all it an Arizona night lizard, I just chose to database it in my collection as Bezy's based on the color.

Now that I have this new information, I will consider this a Bezy's night lizard for my collection.

Species: Aphonopelma steindachneri (Ausserer, 1875) (Steindachner's ebony tarantula)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: AMT/Ertl
Series: Gigantics
Year of Production: 1996
Size/Scale: Legspan 17.0 cm. Carapace 5.0 cm long for a scale of 2.5:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The Gigantics collection by AMT/Ertl are model kits that feature 'giant' arthropods terrorizing cities, as if taken from a monster movie. In addition to the animal, the kits come with a city backdrop, plus people, pets, and cars for the creature to menace! Because these are model kits, assembly and paint is required; today's tarantula came in 23 pieces. There are some taxonomic issues with this particular figure. It was marketed as ‘Eurypelma californicum’, a name that has been considered nomen dubium for decades. In 2012, it was proposed that most specimens assigned to E. californicum probably represent Aphonopelma hentzi. However, E. californicum was originally described from California, and A. hentzi as currently delineated does not occur in California. In 2016, the genus Aphonopelma was revised, and there is no mention of E. californicum or the 2012 note about its possible connection to A. hentzi. I decided to paint my figure after A. steindachneri, a large common species from southern California (I figure, if this is going to represent a spider destroying a city in California, might as well be Los Angeles…).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Coastal southern California and northern Baja California
Habitat: Coastal scrub, chaparral, urban areas
Diet: Mostly insects; occasionally other arthropods and small mammals and reptiles
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: While not yet formally evaluated by the IUCN, A. steindachneri is very common throughout its range and its overall population appears secure. Some populations might face some threats around urbanized areas due to human encroachment and development.

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Lol would have had a lot of stupid geeky fun building these sets! Great job on yours, it's not visible it's 23 pieces.

Wow, I can't believe this was built with 23 pieces, it looks whole and so realistic!

Species: Androctonus crassicauda (Olivier, 1807) (Arabian fat-tailed scorpion)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Venomous Creatures TOOB
Year of Production: 2010
Size/Scale: Total figure length 7.0 cm. Body length 8.0 cm, slightly under 1:1 scale.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Safari Ltd. only marketed this figure as a 'fat-tailed scorpion' (Androctonus sp.). The dark habitus with reddish claws and its inclusion in a set of deadly creatures could suggest several species, most notably the Arabian fat-tailed scorpion (A. crassicauda) or the black fat-tailed scorpion (A. bicolor). A chose the former due to the shorter and broader chelae (claws). Within the last couple years (not sure exactly when), Safari re-released this TOOB with different paint jobs. Online images show this scorpion is now a dusty gray with bright orange chelae. I think the original is more accurate!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northeast Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Middle East
Habitat: Deserts and semi-arid areas, often in animal burrows, under bark of dead trees, and in neglected structures
Diet: Invertebrates; occasionally small lizards
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: The venom of A. crassicauda contains neurotoxins, cardiotoxins, and myotoxins. Initial symptoms of stings to humans include intense pain and redness and swelling at the sting site. More severe symptoms may include seizures, marked irritability, visual disturbances, respiratory problems, internal bleeding, heart malfunctions, and death due to respiratory arrest, heart failure, and shock. Antivenom is available for this species.

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Species: Papilio xuthus Linnaeus, 1767 (Asian swallowtail; Chinese yellow swallowtail)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Toys Spirits
Series: Caterpillar Mascot Vol. 2
Year of Release: 2020
Size/Scale: Figure length 4.5 cm, near 1:1 for a maximum-sized specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: Papilio xuthus is one of the most-commonly made members of the family Papilionidae, and today's figure is one of eight I have of just the larva (I actually have more figures of the larva than the adult). This is the second time we have seen this species in the Museum. The figures in this collection are soft and squishy, and a but stylized. I mainly bought the set for the inclusion of a larval symphytan (which has already been reviewed in this tread on April 5, 2021).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Asia, introduced to Hawaii
Habitat: Forests, gardens, parks, citrus orchards
Diet: Larvae feed on plants in the family Rutaceae, including cultivated Citrus; adults are attracted to flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like many developing lepidopterans, the immature stages of P. xuthus are prone to parasitism. Eggs may be parasitized by wasps in the genus Trichogramma and larvae by wasps Pteromalus puparum and Trogus mactator. It is believed that the stability of populations of P. xuthus is regulated by the population dynamics of such parasitoids.

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funny!

Species: Chalcosoma chiron (Olivier, 1789) (Caucasus beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturers: Kabaya; ShanTrip
Series: World Insect Series 1 (Kabaya); unknown (Shantrip)
Years of Production: 2002 (Kabaya); unknown (ShanTrip)
Size/Scale: Body length (including horns) 4.2 cm for a scale of 1:2-1:3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: Most figures of C. chiron are sold under its synonym, C. caucasus. This is our third look at this species in the Museum. The figure on the lower right is by Kabaya; the one on the upper left is by the Indian-based (I think) company ShanTrip. I bought the ShanTrip figures on eBay, not realizing until I had them in-hand that they are just Kabaya knock-offs. Quality-wise, they are comparable (but maybe not as fragile; notice one of the metatarsi broke off of the Kabaya figure...).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae feed in decaying wood and detritus; adults feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like many large scarabaeid beetles, especially those among the Dynastinae, C. chiron exhibits marked sexual dimorphism. Males (shown here) have two large pronotal and one large cephalic horn that they use for battling other males over females and breeding and feeding sites.

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Beautiful models and display!

Super beetles!

Species: Allomyrina pfeifferi celebensis Silvestre, 1997

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King, standard series, small
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length including horn 4.0 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: To my knowledge, this is the only Allomyrina figure that does not represent A. dichotoma. The Sega 'small standard series' were 10 sets of 10 figures each, for a total of 100 figures representing roughly 75 species of Lucanidae and dynastine Scarabaeidae. The dates of release are currently unknown to me (c. 2008). The figures were produced in conjunction with Bandai and came with Pokemon-style playing cards. At the time of this writing, I think I have all but two of the species. For a review of the sets, please see here.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Sulawesi
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae feed on organic detritus in soil; adults are attracted to sap flows
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Allomyrina pfeifferi celebensis is endemic to the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. The type subspecies (A. p. pfeifferi) occurs on the nearby island of Borneo.

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  and thank you for the link! :)

Species: Negaprion brevirostris (Poey, 1868) (lemon shark)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Sealife
Year of Production: 2018
Size/Scale: Body length 16.0 cm for a scale of 1:15-1:22
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The only figure of this species by a major manufacturer, and the only one in recent years, it's hard to find anything to nit-pick about this one (at least none I can find).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Pacific (coastal Baja California to Ecuador), East Atlantic (coastal northeastern USA to Brazil), West Atlantic (coastal Africa)
Habitat: Enclosed bays, coral reefs, mangroves, at depths of 0-92 feet
Diet: Marine invertebrates, fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Negaprion brevirostris gets its common name 'lemon' shark from is dusky yellow dorsal coloring, which provides it camouflage when swimming over the silty and sandy bottoms of the coastal habitats it inhabits.

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