Mathison Museum of Natural History

Species: Prosopocoilus inclinatus (Motschulsky, 1857)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: 'Beetles on Wood'
Year of Release: unknown
Size/Scale: Base 2.0 cm long. Total body length 3.2 cm. Body length (excluding mandibles) 2.2 cm for a scale of 1:3.3 for a major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: Three lucanids by Sega in a row! That's the thing about randomness; it can happen! Today is our sixth look at this commonly-made species in the Museum. 'Beetles on Wood' is my designation for a set of very small Sega figures that depict the usual scarabaeoid beetles on logs. I don't know much about this set, including the official name of the set, when they came out, or how many figures are in it (I have 15 out of 16 known figures; the one I didn't retain is an anime version of Allomyrina dichotoma, which I believe serves as Sega's Mushi King mascot).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan, Taiwan, Korean Peninsula
Habitat: Oak forests
Diet: Larvae breed in rotting logs of Quercus (oak); adults are attracted to sap flows.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: There are roughly seven subspecies of P. inclinatus: the nominate P. i. inclinatus occurs in Japan, Taiwan, and the Korean Peninsula; P. i. kuchinoerabuensis occurs on Kuchinoerabujima Island, Japan; P. i. koreanus occurs in North Korea; P. i. kuroshimaensis occurs on Kuroshima Island, Japan; P. i. mikuraensis occurs on Mikura Island, Japan; P. i. yakushimaensis occurs on Yakushima Island, Japan; P. i. mishimaiouensis occurs on Mishima Island, Japan.

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Beautiful species and picture!

Species: Aix sponsa (Linnaeus, 1758) (wood duck)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Maia & Borges
Series: Water and Lake Birds
Year of Production: 2012
Size/Scale: Figure 5.2 cm tall. Scale difficult to calculate, but measured along spine body length approximately 8.5 cm for a scale of 1:5.5-1:6.4
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Other figures of A. sponsa in this relative scale were also made by AAA (small) and New Ray, the latter featured in wildlife and hunting sets. Today's figure is one of my absolute favorite bird figures!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North America, especially in the East and along the Pacific Flyway; feral populations and vagrants present in Europe
Habitat: Sheltered ponds, lakes, rivers, swamps; in areas where trees are present for nesting
Diet: Nuts, fruits, aquatic plants, aquatic invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Aix sponsa is a diurnal duck, and with the exception of females with young, they sleep on the water. Nests occur in tree cavities, and therefore bodies of water need to be within about 1.5 km of suitable trees, especially in the breeding season (February-April).

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Beautiful species, model and picture!

Species: Carassius auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) (goldfish)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Goldfish Pictorial Book Series 1
Year of Production: 2006
Size/Scale: Total figure height 6.5 cm. Body length 7.5 cm, within scale 1:1 for a young specimen; about 1:4.7 for a mature specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was released twice by Yujin, and may have been re-released or copied by other companies such as Takara Tomy A.R.T.S., Wing Mau, or Beam. My figure is from the original 2006 release. The figure is removable from its base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Native to East Asia; now cosmopolitan
Habitat: Lakes, ponds, slow-moving rivers and streams
Diet: Aquatic plants, aquatic invertebrates, zooplankton, detritus
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Carassius auratus was first domesticated in China, possibly as early as during the Jin Dynasty (266-420 A.D.). The origins of C. auratus are not clear. Historically, it was generally believed that the domestic goldfish was descended from the Crucian carp (C. carassius), but recent molecular data suggest that some populations of C. auratus in southern China represent natural wild populations. Popular in aquaria, some populations introduced into the wild are regarded as invasive pests. Today's figure was modeled after the Sarasa Comet variety; the Sarasa variant originated in China, although the comet breed originated in the United States.

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Wonderful model and picture!

Species: Melibe viridis (Kelaart, 1858) (hooded nudibranch; green melibe)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Agatsuma Entertainment
Series: Amazing Creatures
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Base 8.0 cm wide. Body length approximately 6.0 cm for a scale of 1:2-1:6.7
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This species was also made by Kaiyodo for the Choco Q Animatales line. Both figures were marketed as M. japonica, which is now generally regarded as a synonym of M. viridis. The figure is removable from its base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-West Pacific, Mediterranean
Habitat: Benthic, at depths of 3-9 meters
Diet: Marine invertebrates, especially crustaceans
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Unlike most sea slugs that feed on sessile animals such as sponges and bryozoans, M. viridis is an active predator that swims close to the ocean floor, trapping swimming prey in its extendable oral veil. The oral veil functions similarly to the trap on a Venus fly trap plant: there are sensitive papillae on the inner edge of the oral veil; when they come in contact with potential prey, the veil closes rapidly, trapping the prey.

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Beautiful model and picture!

Species: Ancyluris formosissima (Hewitson, 1870) (Italian flag butterfly)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Toy Major
Series: Butterflies
Year of Production: 1996
Size/Scale: Wingspan 6.5 cm for a scale of 1.7:1-1.4:1 (on average, 1.5:1)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: 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 (the identifications are all mine, or by other forum members). 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, and it is sometimes difficult to determine who came first. Today's figure (which appears to adapted from one of the papilionid figures) seems be painted after the Peruvian subspecies, A. f. venerabilis.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: South America (Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru)
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: unknown
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: I had a difficult time researching information on the biology of this species, including larval host plants and adult diet. Larvae of other species of Ancyluris feed on Miconia and Hyeronima. Adults of other species of Ancyluris feed on organic fluids other than those from flowers, including rotting fish.

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Species: Cybister chinensis Motschulsky, 1854 (giant Asian diving beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Kyoto Aquarium
Year of Production: 2012
Size/Scale: Bottlecap base about 3.5 cm in diameter. Body length 3.3 cm, within scale 1:1 for a smaller specimen.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is our third look at C. chinensis in the Museum, and the second by Kaiyodo (so far they are all 1:1 in scale). This species is usually marketed as C. japonicus, which is now considered a synonym of C. chinensis. The beetle is removable from its base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Asia, Japan
Habitat: Freshwater, including lakes, ponds, ditches, canals, rice paddies
Diet: Predaceous on freshwater insects, microcrustaceans, tadpoles, small fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: The males of many large dytiscids, including C. chinensis, have specialized front tarsi; the tarsal segments are modified into large suction cups that are used to hold the female during underwater mating. This feature can be seen on today's figure.

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Species: Bufo japonicus Temminck & Shlegel, 1838 (Japanese common toad)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Frogs in Colour Pictorial Book
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Snout-to-vent length approximately 4.5 cm for a scale of 1:1-1:3.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was specifically marketed as the eastern subspecies, B. j. formosus.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan
Habitat: Subarctic forests, temperate forests and shrubland, swamps, marshes, agricultural fields, parks, gardens
Diet: Terrestrial invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Bufo japonicus is native to the Japanese islands of Honshu, Kyusku, and Shikoku; the eastern subspecies B. j. formosus has been introduced to the islands of Izu Ōshima and Hokkaido where it is considered an invasive species.

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Wonderful model and picture! so realistic!  

Caracal wrote:

Wonderful model and picture! so realistic!  

Absolutly

A great Yujin indeed !

Species: Mastigias papua Lesson, 1830 (spotted jellyfish; Papuan jellyfish; golden medusa)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Qualia
Series: JOIN Collection - Jellyfish
Year of Production: 2017
Size/Scale: Total figure height roughly 6.0 cm; disc 1.7 cm in diameter for a scale of 1:1.8-1:4.7
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: There are five figures in Qualia's JOIN Collection of jellyfish; the bases of any four figures can 'join' together to form a mini circular diorama. The animal is removable from the bubble stream, and there are three points of attachment on the stream on which to place the animal. These five species were included in Kitan Club's Nature Techni Colour jellyfish collection; the NTC figures are approximately twice the size of the Qualia figures and more detailed, but I like the ability to display them on habitat-style bases.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-West Pacific
Habitat: Pelagic, in coastal waters, lagoons, marine lakes; usually at depths of 0-2.5 m
Diet: Energy derived from symbiotic zooxanthallae as well as predation of zooplankton, phytoplankon, microcrustaceans
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Mastigias papua prefers to hang out in shallower waters, where it derived roughly 70% of its energy from symbiotic zooxanthallae. At night, it often goes to lower depths to prey on planktonic organisms.

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Very beautiful display!

Species: Closterium sp.

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Ayano Kayayama
Series: Fascinating Microorganisms
Year of Production: 2019
Size/Scale: Length 6.3 cm for a scale of 250:1-80:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Figures in the Fascinating Microorganisms collection are flat and acrylic, much like acrylic 'mascot' figures made by Ikimon. They are made by an artist named Ayano Katayama and sold on a site called minne (an Etsy-like site out of Japan). They are usually sold as keychains, but I had a custom set made without the holes to accommodate the chains.

About the Organism:
Geographic distribution: Cosmopolitan
Habitat: Freshwater lakes and ponds, rivers, ditches, sewage ponds
Diet: Energy derived from photosynthesis
IUCN (at the time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Closterium can reproduce both sexually and asexually; sexual reproduction usually takes place in stressful environments, such as the drying of a water habitat or nitrogen shortage. Sexual reproduction consists of conjugation resulting in the formation of zygospores. Some populations form zygospores from single clones of the same parent alga (homothallism) while others form zygospores from clones from different parent algae (heterothallic). A mature zygospore will eventually produce two vegetative individuals of the alga. Asexual reproduction results from binary fission from a partitioned parent cell.

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Species: Orectolobus maculatus (Bonnaterre, 1788) (spotted wobbegong)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Schleich
Series: Coral Reef Diver
Year of Production: 2016 (2006)
Size/Scale: Body length 11.5 cm for an average scale of 1:5.2-1:15.7; 1:28 for a maximum-sized specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare (unique as a sculpt?)
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure is the 2016 version of a model originally released in 2006. The 2006 version was a stand-alone figure and was retired in 2009, but the 2016 version came in a set with a human diver and a sandy base with coral, shells, and sea grass.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Coastal southern and eastern Australia
Habitat: Coral reefs, at depths of 0-248 meters (usually 0-110 meters)
Diet: Benthic invertebrates, small fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Orectolobus maculatus is a nocturnal ambush predator. They have been observed patiently waiting while potential prey comes right up to their mouths, sometimes even attempting to nibble on their dermal lobed. It has been suggested that these lobes are bait for prey. When prey gets close enough, the wobbegong uses a suction motion in combination with specialized fang-like teeth to draw the prey into its mouth. Common prey include crabs, lobsters, octopi, sea bass, scorpionfishes, luderick, and small rays.

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Very realistic display!

One of my favourite Schleich figures