Mathison Museum of Natural History

wonderful mimetism sample!

Species: Coccinella septempuntata Linnaeus, 1758 (seven-spotted lady beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: unknown
Series: unknown
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length 2.0 cm for a scale of 3:1-2.6:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: I know nothing about this set: who made it, when it came out, or how many figures are in it (I have 10). I bought them from forum member Beetle Guy, who had gotten them in a large lot online. Individual figures appear to be composite with wire legs. They come nestled in synthetic cotton in a box that measures 5.0 cm x 3.5 cm x 1.7 cm. The box is hard plastic, but the clear top is softer and taped secure (see inset left). The boxes have grooves and can be connected to one another. The back of box has the animal's name and biological information in Japanese (see inset right). I display mine in the boxes, but will remove them for photographing for this thread. Not the typical figures collected my most of us, but the set offers some unusual and unique taxa.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Native to the Palearctic; introduced to North America and southern Africa
Habitat: Forests, grasslands, marshes, deserts, agricultural fields, disturbed areas, parks, and gardens
Diet: Soft-bodied insects, especially aphids and scale insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Coccinella septempunctata has been introduced to North America to combat aphid pests. And while it has been successful in doing so, it is unfortunately pushing out native species, including the related nine-spotted lady beetle (C. novemnotata). However, both Coccinella are probably now getting pushed out by another invasive species, the multicolored Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis).

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Lovely model of one of my favourite bugs!

Beautiful picture and model!

Bonnie wrote:

Lovely model of one of my favourite bugs!

Well I have a handful of this species, so there will be more to come :)

Species: †Acanthostega gunnari Jarvik, 1952

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Dinotailes Series 2
Year of Production: 2001
Size/Scale: Body length 8.0 cm for a scale of 1:7.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Dinotales figures, some assembly is required. Yujin also made this species for their NHK Miracle Planet collection.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Devonian (Famennian) of present-day Greenland
Habitat: Shallow freshwater, including swamps, flooded wetlands, and river channels
Diet: Fish, aquatic invertebrates, possibly terrestrial animals near the water's edge
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Acanthostega gunnari is considered a member of the 'stem-tetrapods', early four-limbed animals there were a morphologic link between lobe-finned fish and true tetrapods. Despite the presence of four limbs similar to those in some land animals, A. gunnari spent most of its life in the water, only occasionally clambering onto land, perhaps in search of prey. The jaws, teeth, and shoulder girdle are more fish-like, and the backbone appeared too weak to support the body for prolonged periods of time on land.

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Very interesting and beautiful model and very beautiful picture!

A great model, thank you for posting these daily figures!

WOW, The last photo is very, very nice

Never seen before

Thanks all,

next up:

Species: Ogyris genoveva Hewitson, 1853 (genoveva azure; southern purple azure)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Toy Major
Series: Butterflies
Year of Release: 1996
Size/Scale: Wingspan 7.0 cm for a scale of 1.3:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon to rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen O. genoveva in the Museum. The Toy Major butterflies are somewhat of an enigma. There are 12 sculpts, labeled A-L on the underside as well as the copyright year of 1996. Each sculpt has been painted multiple times, resulting in anywhere from 24-36 figures (maybe more?). Also, the different repaints may have been released over multiple years while retaining the 1996 mark. They were sold in sets of various numbers. They are not marketed at the species level, but most are painted to look like recognizable species. Several species produced by Toy Major have been produced by other companies of the same era (Club Earth, early Safari Ltd., etc.), as these companies tend to copy one another; today's figure was painted after the Club Earth figure that was specifically marketed as O. genoveva.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeastern Australia
Habitat: Dry Eucalyptus woodlands
Diet: Larvae feed on mistletoes in the family Loranthaceae; adults are attracted to flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Ogyris genoveva has a symbiotic relationship with ants in the genus Camponotus. The larvae of O. genoveva feed at night. When not feeding, the larvae reside in the nests of the ants. The ants are believed to offer protection to the young larvae. The ants will shepherd the caterpillars to and from their mistletoe food source, protecting them from predators and parasitoids.

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beautiful display!

Species: Canama hinnulea (Thorell, 1881) (young stag jumper)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Series: Yowies Series 5
Year of Production: 2000
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding appendages) 3.5 cm for a scale of approximately 5:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was not marketed at the species level; the identification is mine based on the color, elongated chelicerae, and its presence in Australia, as the original Yowies overwhelmingly represented Australian species. Being one of the original Australian Yowies, the figure is somewhat stylized and assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Coastal north Queensland, Australia
Habitat: Rainforests; arboreal
Diet: Insects and arachnids
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Canama hinnulea primarily lives among foliage of Eucalytptus trees. Sexual dimorphism is not as exaggerated in C. hinnulea as it is in many other salticids.

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Wow, lots of eyes on this spider!

Is it dangerous for humans?..

Caracal wrote:

Is it dangerous for humans?..

No, as far as I know, no salticids are dangerous for humans.

Thank you! :)

Species: Dorcus hopei binodulosus Waterhouse, 1874

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Choco Q Animatales Series 7
Year of Production: 2003
Size/Scale: Length 4.0 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very common
Miscellaneous Notes: Dorcus hopei binodulosus is one of the most commonly made species of beetle by Japanese manufacturers; I am surprised it took this long to see it in the Museum (at the time of this writing, I have 25 specimens of it). These three figures represent different stages of development for the pupa of D. h. binodulosus; they were the secret/chase figures in their set. Being original Choco Q Animatales figures, some assembly is required. Kaiyodo also made a larva of this species, but to my knowledge they have not yet made an adult.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan, Korean Peninsula
Habitat: Broadleaf forests
Diet: Larvae breed in rotting wood; adults feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Compared many scarabaeoid beetles, D. h. binodulosus has a long lifespan. Larvae live in their host substrate for about two years and adults live about three years, hibernating during the winter months. Hyperactive antifreeze proteins allow the beetle to survive in freezing temperatures.

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Always impressive invertebrate representation here. That map caterpillar is SO cool looking!!

Never seen before

Species: Tarsiger cyanurus (Pallas, 1773) (red-flanked bluetail)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Birdtales Series 1
Year of Production: 2004
Size/Scale: Bottlecap base 3.5 cm in diameter. Body length (male) 2.0 cm for a scale of 1:7
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Birdtales figures offer a variety of unique and rarely-made bird taxa. The figures are generally quite small, even by gashapon standards. Some assembly is required. In today's figure, the male's body is removable, but the feet are permanently affixed to the branch; the female sits loosely in the nest.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northern Eurasia; wintering in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, rare vagrants to northwestern North America
Habitat: Mixed coniferous forest and taiga forest with dense undergrowth, parks, gardens
Diet: Insects, berries
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Like many birds, T. cyanurus is sexually dimorphic. Adults of both sexes have blue on the upper part of the tail and orange-red flanks, but the dorsum of the adult male is also bright blue whereas in the adult female the upperparts are olive-brown. Pairs nest on or near the ground, and incubation of the eggs is done by the female.

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