Mathison Museum of Natural History

Beautiful species, model and display!

Species: Pomoxis annularis Rafinesque, 1818 (white crappie)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Toy Fish Factory
Series: American Anglers
Year of Production: 2017
Size/Scale: Body length 6.5 cm for a scale of 1:3.5-1:8
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was only marketed as a crappie, but after discussions with forum member sbell, we feel the white crappie is the best option for this color pattern. Interestingly, the same sculpt was used for the black crappie (P. nigromaculatus) in the original Replica Toy Fish line. TFF figures often have a simpler paint job than their RTF counterparts.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North America; native to Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, and Mississippi River Basins and Gulf Slope, introduced to many other parts of the US and southern Canada
Habitat: Large lakes, reservoirs, and rivers, usually above the thermocline
Diet: Young feed on zooplankton; adults feed on small fish and freshwater invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Pomoxis annularis is a popular game fish in North America. Also, the fish doesn't retain mercury, so there is little risk with eating it frequently.

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A very special company

Beautiful unique model and display!

Species: Teleogryllus commodus (Walker, 1869) (black field cricket)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Series: Yowies Series 1
Year of Production: 1997
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding appendages) 3.5 cm for a scale of 1.2:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being an original Australian Yowie, some assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Australia; introduced to New Zealand
Habitat: Forests, heath, agricultural fields, pastures, parks, gardens
Diet: Non-discriminant herbivore
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Teleogryllus commodus is considered an agricultural pest in Australia and New Zealand, especially of cereal and grain crops.

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Here we have the "all black" ones!   

Species: Gonepteryx rhamni (Linnaeus, 1758) (common brimstone)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bullyland
Series: Butterflies on Strings
Year of Production: 1998
Size/Scale: Wingspan 5.5 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The 'Butterflies on Strings' collections were two sets of butterflies released by Bullyland. The figures had a loop of chord attached to the top of the thorax via a screw (hence the unsightly hole), so they can hang from things. There are eight figures in this set, with four sculpts shared among them (and the shape of the wings is not accurate for this spcies). The set was also sold as 'swingers', figures suspended on a wire attached to a base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Palearctic
Habitat: Woodlands, wetlands, shrubby grasslands, heathland, agricultural fields, parks, gardens
Diet: Larvae feed on Frangula alnus (alder buckhorn) and Rhamnus carthartica (common buckhorn); adults are attracted to flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Gonepteryx rhamni has a long lifespan for a lepidopteran. Females lay their eggs on host plants in the spring, usually around April or May depending on the latitude. Eggs are laid singly over a protracted period. Larvae have five instars and usually feed from May to July. Pupation lasts about two weeks and adults are usually seen from June to August and will continue to feed until September. The time between oviposition and emergence from the pupa is on average 50 days. In September, adults find a secluded place to hibernate, such as among ivy, grasses, and other vegetation. Adults overwinter and emerge the following spring. Adults can live for about 11 months, with much of that spent hibernating.

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I never recognize the butterflys. But i search very hard for the hummingbirds.

Species: Chalcosoma moellenkampi Kolbe, 1900

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King - Flying Beetles
Year of Production: 2006
Size/Scale: Wingspan 10.5 cm. Body length (including horns) 6.0 cm, for a scale of 1:2
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the third time we've seen C. moellenkampi in the Museum. Sega released at least two sets of flying beetles; one in 2005 and one in 2006. The species composition is not the same in the two sets, and Chalcosoma moellenkampi was only in the 2006 collection.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Borneo
Habitat: Rainforests, palm plantations
Diet: Larvae develop in rotting logs; adults feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: The weight of a major male C. moellenkampi precludes them from being efficient fliers. Minor males may actually be more mobile, allowing them to disperse their genetic material easier.

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premium to mobility!

bmathison1972 wrote:

Species: Pomoxis annularis Rafinesque, 1818 (white crappie)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Toy Fish Factory
Series: American Anglers
Year of Production: 2017
Size/Scale: Body length 6.5 cm for a scale of 1:3.5-1:8
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was only marketed as a crappie, but after discussions with forum member sbell, we feel the white crappie is the best option for this color pattern. Interestingly, the same sculpt was used for the black crappie (P. nigromaculatus) in the original Replica Toy Fish line. TFF figures often have a simpler paint job than their RTF counterparts.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North America; native to Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, and Mississippi River Basins and Gulf Slope, introduced to many other parts of the US and southern Canada
Habitat: Large lakes, reservoirs, and rivers, usually above the thermocline
Diet: Young feed on zooplankton; adults feed on small fish and freshwater invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Pomoxis annularis is a popular game fish in North America. Also, the fish doesn't retain mercury, so there is little risk with eating it frequently.

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I want this beautiful fish.

The TFF and RTF fish are spectacular, Fernando!

Next up:

Species: Vespa velutina Lepeletier, 1836 (yellow-legged hornet; Asian hornet)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Break Co. Ltd.
Series: Biological Pictorial Book - Hornets
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length 3.7 cm for an average scale of 1.5:1 (1.8:1-1.2:1 depending on the caste member one considers the figure to be)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Figures in this set were sold as 'strap' figures; the chord unscrews from the underside of the insect, leaving a small, unobtrusive hole. There have been a lot of vespids produced lately with the Diversity of Life collections by Bandai, but I believe this figure is still unique for its species.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Native to Central and Southeast Asia; introduced to and established in Japan, South Korea, and Europe.
Habitat: Forests, fields, agricultural land, parks, gardens; nests are usually constructed in trees or on manmade structures
Diet: Larvae are feed insects provided by adults; adults are predaceous on other insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Vespa velutina is considered an invasive species outside of its native range, especially in its role as a pest of commercial Apis mellifera (western honey bee) colonies. It was first detected in South Korea in 2003, followed by France (2004), Japan (2010), Spain (2010), Portugal (2011), Belgium (2011), Italy (2012), Germany (2014), Majorca (2015), England (2016), Channel Islands (2016), and the Netherlands (2018).

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beautiful model of a big problem!

Species: Lycosa tarantula (Linnaeus, 1758) (European wolf spider; tarantula)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.
Series: Venomous Spiders
Year of Production: 2010
Size/Scale: Body length 3.0 cm, within scale 1:1 for a large female
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon to rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is a fairly good likeness for the species, especially for its size; Takara even made a pretty good attempt at getting the eye arrangement correct, something few companies do. Figures in this set come with a flat, round, black base with the spider's Latin and Japanese names and degree of toxicity using skulls-and-crossbones in a 1-5 scale (see inset).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Mediterranean Europe, North Africa, Middle East
Habitat: Scrubland, deserts, fields; usually in rocky places with sparse vegetation cover
Diet: Insects and other arthropods
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Lycosa tarantula is commonly called the 'tarantula' in Europe; however, in the United States that term is used for mygalomorph spiders in the family Theraphosidae. It gets that name from the Italian city of Taranto, in the Apulia region where the spider is familiar. Historical superstition tells that the bite of L. tarantula can cause a disease known as tarantism, which could only be cured from doing a frantic dance known as the tarantella. In reality, the venom of L. tarantula is fairly mild to a human, often considered to be no more painful than a bee sting.

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With this black cross on its back, I can imagine that this spider is associated with superstitious beliefs.

rogerpgvg wrote:

With this black cross on its back, I can imagine that this spider is associated with superstitious beliefs.

 indeed!!

Species: Dynastes neptunus (Quensel, 1817) (Neptune beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yell
Series: Beetles on Wood
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Body length (including horns) 6.5 cm for a scale of 1:2-1:2.5 for a major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is our fourth look at D. neptunus in the Museum. Yell's 'Beetles on Wood' collection features many of the typical scarabaeoid species made by Japanese companies. The figures are sold in large slotted plastic balls (similar to cat toys) and come with a real piece of wood to display them with. I took it upon myself to use an adhesive to permanently affix the beetles to their piece of wood, making mini dioramas out of them.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting wood within treeholes of living trees, including Alchornea, Ocotea, and Urera; adults attracted to overripe fruit and sap flows.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Dynastes neptunus is one of the longest beetle species, with major males reaching a lengh of 16.0 cm (including horns). The related D. hercules is longer, however, at 18.8 cm.

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Very beautiful model of this giant species!

Caracal wrote:

Very beautiful model of this giant species!

For being a 'gimmick' collection, the Yell beetles are actually well sculpted!

Species: Muraenesox cinereus (Forsskål, 1775) (daggertooth pike conger; darkfin pike eel)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Kyoto Aquarium
Year of Production: 2012
Size/Scale: Bottlecap base 3.5 cm in diameter. Height (including bottlecap base) 6.0 cm. Height (excluding bottlecap base) 5.0 cm. Scale difficult to calculate since the animal is not complete. Using the head as a metric, from the snout to the back of the eye (n=1.0 cm), scale approximately 1:7.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The sandy base is removable from the bottlecap base; the animal is removable from the sandy base, but is incomplete.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-West Pacific
Habitat: Marine and brackish waters, estuaries, sometimes freshwater; usually in areas with soft bottoms to depths of 800 meters
Diet: Small fish, crustaceans, mollusks
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Muraenesox cinereus is an ambush predator, hidding in burrows in the sand and catching small benthic fish and marine invertebrates that pass too close. In turn, M. cinereus is itself commonly eaten, as it is an economically important commercial fish, especially in China, Taiwan, and Japan.

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