Mathison Museum of Natural History

I'm amazed by the size of the figure. 1,7 cm is tiny for so much well done detail in sculpting! The scutellum or the tarsal claws must measure less than a millimetre!

I don't know this species, but its appareance seems identical than the European Anatis ocellata I'm used to.

Species: Megasoma elephas (Fabricius, 1775) (elephant beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King 'Shooters'
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding cephalic horn) 4.0 cm for an average scale of 1:2
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is our second look at M. elephas in the Museum. The term 'shooters' is my designation for figures from this peculiar set in the Mushi King line. The figures apparently came with a device to propel or shoot the figures (I bought mine from forum member Beetle guy without the device). The figures have a small, soft peg on the underside that I presume is used for attachment to the devices. These figures are actually very nice, and some are as nice or nicer than their 'small series, standard' counterparts! I don't know how many figures are in the original set, but I have seven.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central America and northern South America
Habitat: Rainforests, plantations
Diet: Larvae feed on detritus in rotting logs and tree stumps, under bark, and in tree holes; adults feed on sap and overripe fruit
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Depending on the metrics used, M. elephas is one of the largest or bulkiest insects in the world. Males can reach nearly 13 centimeters (including the horn) and weigh 50-70 grams.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

they were made to be.. shooted?!.. but why?..

I can see that totally freaking out my grandmother, or some of my sillier classmates. That would have been excuse enough for me as a child.

.. ah OK to frighten people! :)

Species: Hippotion scrofa (Boisduval, 1832) (scrofa moth; Coprosma hawk moth)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Series: Yowies Series 4
Year of Production: 1999
Size/Scale: Figure width 6.0 cm. Wingspan would calculate to 8.0 cm for a scale slightly larger than 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Like all of the original Cadbury Yowies, assembly is required. The wings are a painted and coated yet durable paper-like product.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Australia, New Caledonia, Vanuatu; occasional migrant to New Zealand
Habitat: Extremely variable, including deserts, rainforests, mountains, parks, and gardens
Diet: Larvae feed on a wide variety of plants; among the native host plants include members of the genera Epilobium (willowherbs), Persicaria (creeping knotweed), Asperula (woodruff), Coprosma, Galium (bedstraw), Hedyotis, Cayratia, and Cissus. Adults take nectar from a variety of flowers.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Hippotion scrofa can have multiple generations a year, but it varies regionally and year to year based on local weather conditions. Eggs are typically laid in small clusters on the leaves or flower heads of the host plant. After about six days the eggs hatch and the larvae begin to feed. The length of time for larval development varies, but can be as short as 17 days in the summer. Pupation can last as short as 13 days in the summer or as long as 4-6 weeks in the fall; pupation can also last over winter. Adults fly from August to May except in higher mountain areas where it is strictly a summer species.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

odd model and species!

Take care my friend, you wrote "Coprosoma hawk moth" as common name and this shocked me very much, as it's hard to imagine why would anybody call "dung-body" to a random hawk moth. When I readed the remain of your post, I noticed that one of their larval host plants are Coprosma, so I understood what happened, and that the common name was just a mispelling.

Nice

Species: Macrocheira kaempferi (Temminck, 1836) (giant Japanese spider crab)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Epoch
Series: Earth Life Journey Crabs and Shrimp
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Carapace 2.3 cm for a scale of 1:17
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the third time we've seen M. kaempferi in the Museum. Some assembly is required. There have been multiple releases (at least three, possibly four) of Epoch's Earth Life Journey Crabs and Shrimp collections, each with a slightly different species composition and often consisting of re-releases with different paint jobs. A set typically has 6 or 7 figures in it. In all there are 10 species (9 crustaceans and 1 xiphosuran). I have collected mine individually over the years so I am not entirely sure which of mine came from which release.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northwest Pacific around Japan and Taiwan
Habitat: Benthic, usually at depths of 50-400 meters
Diet: Marine invertebrates and algae; also a scavenger
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Macrocheira kaempferi is the largest extant arthropod. It has a carapace of up to 40 cm in width, a legspan of up to 3.7 meters, and can weigh up to 19 kilograms.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I always tought that the largest extant arthropod was the European lobster (Homarus gammarus), at least by weight.

Beautiful species, model and picture!

Species: Ficedula narcissina (Temminck, 1836) (narcissus flycatcher)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Chocoegg Animatales Series 1
Year of Production: 1999
Size/Scale: Figure height 4.3 cm. Body length approximately 5.5 cm for a scale of 1:2.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being an original Chocoegg Animatales figure, some assembly is required. The original Chocoegg line features predominately Japanese animals, and this figure could easily represent one of two Japanese Ficedula species (see below).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Asia, Japan; occasional vagrants to Australia, Alaska
Habitat: Deciduous forests
Diet: Flying insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: In 2016 it was proposed to separate the green-backed flycatcher (F. elisae) and the Ryukyu flycatcher (F. owstoni) from F. narcissina based on morphological criteria, analysis of mitochondrial DNA, and their vocalizations. Today's figure could represent either F. narcissina or F. owstoni, as both are endemic to Japan. However since the nominate population occurs throughout Japan, I see no need to change the original designation of the figure.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Beautiful species and unique model!

Caracal wrote:

Beautiful species and unique model!

But too much puzzle

Species: Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata (Motschulsky, 1866) (large brown cicada)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bandai
Series: Figure Pictorial Book of Gakken Insect
Year of Production: 2003
Size/Scale: Figure height 6.0 cm. Body length of cicada 2.2 cm for a scale of about 1:1.4-1:2
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen G. nigrofuscata in the Museum. No assembly is required and from what I can tell, the insect is not removable from its base (I haven't tried for fear of damage).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Much of East Asia, including China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan
Habitat: Variable, including forests, parks, gardens; requires trees and soil conditions to support nymphal development
Diet: Juices from subterranean tree roots
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Cicadas are known for their long subterranean development; Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata remains underground for six years before molting into an adult.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

interesting model!

That spider crab and cicada are amazing!

That's a VERY well done stump, and I would not be surprised if the mould comes from a real branch.

I want the Kaiyodo narcissus flycatcher, it is nice bird.

Thanks for sharing.

landrover wrote:

I want the Kaiyodo narcissus flycatcher, it is nice bird.

Thanks for sharing.    

it is a nice one, isn't it!

Next up:


Species: Cheirotonus jambar Kurosawa, 1984 (Yanbaru long-armed scarab)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Colorata
Series: Yanbaru Creatures
Year of Production: 2017
Size/Scale: Base 6.7 cm long. Body length (excluding appendages) 3.8 cm for a scale of 1:1.3-1:1.6
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The beetle is removable from its habitat-style base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Yabaru Forest, Okinawa, Japan
Habitat: Subtropical rainforest
Diet: Larvae breed in branches of living Quercus (oak) and Castanopsis (Itajii chinkapin); adults feed on sap flows
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Cheirotonus jambar was the first euchirine to have its life history described and illustrated. Larvae have a long developmental cycle, and spend 3-4 in host trees before pupating and becoming adults.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]