Mathison Museum of Natural History

Species: Ranatra chinensis Mayr, 1865

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: F-toys
Series: Creatures of the Waterside
Year of Production: 2008
Size/Scale: Total figure length 9.5 cm. Body length (minus appendages and respiratory siphon) 4.2 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Unique heteropterans; a rare treat indeed! The figure is removable from its habitat-style base; this same base design was used for two other species in the set.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Asia (India, Myanmar, China, Korea, Russia, Japan)
Habitat: Lentic, including lakes, ponds, unmaintained swimming pools, often around aquatic vegetation
Diet: Aquatic insects, tadpoles, small fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Ranatra species overwinter as adults in submerged leaf litter and debris. Eggs are laid in the spring and summer. Nymphs molt four times before becoming adults later in the summer and early fall. All stages are predaceous, the prey determined by the size of the instar.

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Is it a mantidae?

Caracal wrote:

Is it a mantidae?

No; there are no aquatic mantids (to my knowledge).

Next up:

Species: Delias mysis (Fabricius, 1775) (Union Jack; red-banded Jezebel)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Club Earth
Series: Butterflies to Go
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Wingspan 7.0 cm, within scale 1:1 for a larger specimen.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare [see below]
Miscellaneous Notes: The Club Earth butterflies are marked with the common name on the underside of the wings. The figure on the left is by Club Earth; the one of the right is from a set by an unknown manufacturer. This set of 'unknown' butterflies consists of 12 species that are nearly identical to those produced by Club Earth. The only real difference is that they lack the common names printed on the underside of the figures. Otherwise, the quality of plastic and paint applications are nearly just as good as the CE figures. It is possible Club Earth was commissioned to make these for another distributor, or Club Earth and another company bought the rights to the same sculpts (or, these figures are just blatant knockoffs of the CE figures, who knows?). Interestingly, the 'unknown' company mixed up two of the paint jobs. If you look at the figures in this picture, the sculpts are not 100% identical. That is because they painted the sculpt for the monarch as a Union Jack, and vice versa (you may remember this from when I reviewed the two monarchs back on April 25, 2021).


About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northern Australia, Indonesia (Aru Islands; Merauke region, New Guinea)
Habitat: Rainforests, mangroves, swampland
Diet: Larvae feed on plants in the genus Dendrophthoe (mistletoe); adults take nectar from flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Delias mysis is an extremely variable species, especially with regards to the color on the underside of the wings. As such, many subspecies have been described over the years. In 2008, D. lara was given full species status, with four additional subspecies, for most populations occuring throughout New Guinea. Delias mysis proper is now confined to northern Australia, with additional populations on the Aru Islands and Merauke region of extreme southwest New Guinea; both species overlap in the Merauke region. Without having the underside of the wings painted, these figures could represent either D. mysis or D. lara; however, they are good examples of D. mysis proper, so there is no need to question or change their identity.

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Caracal wrote:

Is it a mantidae?

Ces't a punaise mon ami :)

OK thank you Blaine and Pardo! :)

Ranatra chinensis I love this kind of alien, it is always a great pleasure to discover so many rare and incredible model. Thank you Blaine

Species: Buergeria buergeri (Temminch et Schlegel, 1838) (Kajika frog; Buerger's frog)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Natural Monuments of Japan
Year of Production: 2003
Size/Scale: Base 4.3 cm long. Snout-to-vent length about 3.8 cm, within 1:1 scale for a small male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Some assembly is required and the frog is not removable from its base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan
Habitat: Riparian areas in montane forests
Diet: Tadpoles eat algae; adults eat invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes:Buergeria buergeri is popular as a pet in Japan; in the Edo period they were kept in special 'Kajika' cages. The name kaijika comes from the sound it makes, reminiscent of a deer (ojika).

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Very beautiful display!

Nice frog

Species: Bathothauma lyromma Chun, 1906 (lyre cranch squid; glass squid)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Deep Sea Creatures TOOB
Year of Production: 2014
Size/Scale: Figure length 9.0 cm. Mantle length 4.0 cm for a scale of 1:1.5-1:2.5 for a paralarva (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure represents the paralarva stage of the squid (the paralarva is a planktonic stage between the hatchling and subadult). Also interesting is the inclusion of this stage is a set featuring 'deep sea' creatures, as it's the adult that lives in the lower depths (see below).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Worldwide in tropical and subtropical oceans
Habitat: Pelagic, at depths of 100-1250 meters
Diet: Paralarvae feed on zooplankton; adults are predaceous
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: The paralarva stage shown here usually lives in the water column between 100-300 meters. As they mature, they live deeper in the ocean, with adults being essentially benthic at the lower depths.

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these toobs are incredible!

Species: Dorcus hopei binodulosus Waterhouse, 1874

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kabaya
Series: Insect Directory
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Base 5.5 cm long. Body length (including mandibles) 4.4 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen D. h. binodulosus in the Museum; it's probably the third most commonly represented species in my collection (certainly top 5). This figure has a habitat-style base (as do all the figures in the Insect Directory collection) from which it can be removed.

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: Dorcus hopei binodulosus is very popular in the beetle-breeding hobby and is easy to rear.

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Species: Idolomantis diabolica (Saussure, 1869) (giant Devil's flower mantis)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bandai Spirits
Series: Insects in the World
Year of Production: 2021
Size/Scale: Total figure height 19.0 cm. Body length 13.0 cm, 1:1 scale for a large female specimen (based on the length of the antennae, this figure is female)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: To date, all of the Bandai Spirits insects from their 2020 and 2021 collections are in the 1:1 scale. Despite its size, no assembly is required. It stands on its own just fine, but comes with a clear acrylic block to aid in support (could be especially helpful over time as the terminal portions of the legs are not as hard as the body).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East-central Africa
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Flying insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Idolomantis diabolica is one of the largest, if not the largest, species of flower-mimicking mantids. It preys almost exclusively on flying insects, as it spends most of its time motionless, looking like a flower; it does not actively pursue and hunt like many other mantids.

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Species: Lucanus cervus (Linnaeus, 1758) (European stag beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: K&M International
Series: European Garden Nature Tube
Year of Release: 2006
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 4.6 cm, roughly 1:1.5-1:2 for a major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen L. cervus in the Museum. K&M International released both 'European' and 'American' versions of Garden Tubes in 2006, with very different species compositions. Lucanus elaphus (the American cousin to L. cervus) was not included in the American version. Also, the overall quality appears better in the European set.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Europe, east to the Middle East and Central Asia
Habitat: Old-growth hardwood forests
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting wood of hardwood trees, particularly Quercus (oak), but also Tilia (lime), Fagus (beech), Acer (maple), Populus (poplar), and Fraxinus (ash), among several others; also rotting timber, bark chippings, compost heaps in gardens, and other detritus. Adults feed on nectar and tree sap.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Larvae of L. cervus require large, old trees in which to develop. The destruction of old-growth forests throughout Europe has lead to a substantial decline in the beetle's population. It is extinct in some European countries and very rare in many others. It is now protected throughout much of its range.

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The Bandai mantis is absolutely stunning! You have taken an amazing photo of it as well. My favourite photo in the museum so far (and there were many stunning photos preceding it).

rogerpgvg wrote:

The Bandai mantis is absolutely stunning! You have taken an amazing photo of it as well. My favourite photo in the museum so far (and there were many stunning photos preceding it).

Thanks rogergyv

Next up:

Species: Sula nebouxii Milne-Edwards, 1882 (blue-footed booby)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wings of the World
Year of Production: 2017
Size/Scale: Height 6.5 cm. Measured along spine, body length approximately 10.5 cm for a scale of 1:7.7
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Safari made a smaller version of this species for their Galapagos and Pacific TOOBs, but in a different posture.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Pacific; breeds along the Sea of Cortez, coastal Central and northern South America, and the Galapagos Islands
Habitat: Pelagic; breeds on arid coastal islands
Diet: Fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Sula nebouxii does not build a nest; eggs are laid in a shallow depression on the ground. Egg clutches vary from 3-5 eggs, but the eggs are not laid at the same time, so the chicks hatch at different times. This sometimes results in siblicide whereby the chick born first will kill subsequent hatchlings when food is scarce.

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How many many blue! I have this funny creature too. I think it was a good idea for Safari to release it, it works nicely with their painting style.

I love this figure!

Wow, the Mantis is incredible. I really like all the details of it.

THAT MANTIS!!! Gorgeous model, I really love it.  Great presentations again! The bird is a nice model too. It gets critiqued often, but I like my model very much.

The Giant Devil's flower mantis is really incredible and the pic too Beautiful  I am waiting for mine !

The Blue-footed booby is nice too, I miss it because having the Furuta is enough for me but it is still a temptation.

Thanks all! The mantis is a stunning piece!

Next up:

Species: Passer montanus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Eurasian tree sparrow)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kitan Club
Series: Nature Techni Colour - Nature of Japan Vol. 3
Year of Production: 2015
Size/Scale: Body length 5.4 cm for a scale of approximately 1:2.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: I cannot remember if assembly is required (and it's hard to tell looking at it!). Kaiyodo also made this species for their Choco Q Animatales series and Eikoh made it for their Miniatureplanet series.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Native to much of Palearctic; introduced to and established in Australia, eastern USA (St. Louis area), Sardinia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Micronesia
Habitat: Wetlands, open woodlands, fields, coasts, gardens, disturbed areas
Diet: Seeds, sometimes invertebrates; young are fed invertebrates by the parents
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: In some places, especially places where it is not native, P. montanus is considered an agricultural pest, as it damages cereal crops and eats animal feed and stored grain. In other places its considered beneficial by eating and harvesting insect garden and crop pests.

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