Mathison Museum of Natural History

Species: Dorcus tityus Hope, 1842

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King, standard series - small
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) approximately 4.0 cm for a scale of 1.4:1 based on the type specimen (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the sixth species of Dorcus we've seen in the Museum. Sega marketed this figure as D. tityus, but the validity of that species in uncertain to me (see below). The Sega 'small standard series' were 10 sets of 10 figures each, for a total of 100 figures representing 65-75 species of Lucanidae and dynastine Scarabaeidae. The dates of release are currently unknown to me (c. 2008). The figures were produced in conjunction with Bandai and came with Pokemon-style playing cards. At the time of this writing, I think I have all but two of the species. For a review of the sets, please see here.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: India, Bangladesh (see below)
Habitat: Hardwood forests
Diet: Unknown; presumably larvae breed in rotting wood and adults feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: I had trouble researching information on this species. An online database of the Lucanidae of the world places D. tityus as a synonym of Serrognathus lineatopunctatus (Serrognathus is generally considered a subgenus or synonym of Dorcus). Dorcus tityus, proper was described from a unique specimen collected around Sylhet (Bangladesh); however, D. lineatopunctatus sensu lato has a broader distribution in South and East Asia, including India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, China, Thailand, and Vietnam. I wrote to the author of that site, who is a colleague of mine, and he indicates D. tityus is a valid species, even though his database doesn't reflect this at the moment. He also said it should probably be in the genus Serrognathus and that molecular analyses might better resolve the relationships between Dorcus and Serrognathus.

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Species: Pavo cristatus Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): Indian peafowl

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Papo
Series: Wild Animals
Year of Production: 2013
Size/Scale: Height (exclusive of base and tail fan) 6.0 cm. Tail fan 12.0 cm wide. Scale difficult to calculate, but head-to-tail length approximately 8.0 cm for a scale of 1:12.5-1:14.4
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon to common
Miscellaneous Notes: Most companies have produced an Indian peafowl at least once, and they invariably represent a male on display as shown here today. I had trouble picking one for my collection, but I think I made the right choice with this Papo model. The only thing is I wish the tail fan was less symmetric and less evenly rounded; some variation would have been a little more realistic. The 2012 model by Schleich has such variation and even translucent areas between the fan feathers!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Native to the Indian subcontinent, including Sri Lanka; introduced to many other parts of the world, including the United States, Europe, parts of Central and South America, South Africa, Madagascar, parts of Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand
Habitat: Open deciduous and mixed forest, cultivated fields, suburban areas; outside of its natural distribution, it is often associated with farms and other agricultural settings.
Diet: Seeds, terrestrial invertebrates, frogs, reptiles, small mammals
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Pavo cristatus is polygamous. Males maintain small territories and allow females to visit their territories, but do not actively guard harems, nor do females seem to favor specific males. Males attract females their elaborate courtship displays which include dazzling irridescent colors and their large 'tail' fans (although the feathers are not technically true tail feathers, but rather modified upper tail coverts). The large train of feathers is believed to be due to sexual selection by females.

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Despite the tail fan issue, this Peacock is for me the best available mine is on my 1/15 shelf as a big male but I agree it is difficult to measure.

Species: Goliathus orientalis Moser, 1909
Common name(s): eastern Goliath beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: SO-TA
Series:  1/1 Goliath Beetles
Year of Production: 2022
Size/Scale: Body length 10.0 cm, within scale 1:1 for a large specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen G. orientalis in the Museum, and the last time we did, that version (DeAgostini) was still unique! Today's figure was marketed as G. meleagris, which is now considered a synonym of G. orientalis. The same sculpt was used for three other species of Goliathus in the set. Assembly is required and honestly the legs do not hold together well at all; I had to reinforce all mine with glue, and not just a school glue but something stronger. Forum member Beetle guy told me offline that the sculptor of the figures apologized on social media for the assembly issues.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: South-central Africa (Democratic Republic of the Congo, western Tanzania, northern Zambia, eastern Angola)
Habitat: Savanna; usually in shady areas with trees
Diet: Larvae live in soil and feed on detritus; adults are attracted to ripe fruit and sap flows on trees
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: The validity of G. orientalis as a distinct species is a matter of debate. Some authorities consider G. orientalis (and its subspecies) as subspecies of G. goliatus.

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Species: Takydromus smargdinus Boulenger, 1887
Common name(s): emerald grass lizard; green grass lizard

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Ikimon
Series: Nature Techni Colour - Lizard and Gecko Collection
Year of Production: 2015 (2010)
Size/Scale: Figure 10.5 cm long. Snout-to-vent length approximately 4.5 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This set was released three times, originally by Kitan Club in 2010 and then again by Ikimon in 2015 and 2021. Figures in this set were sold as both magnets (as mine here) and strap figures, resulting in a total of six releases of this sculpt over the years. Takydromus smargdinus was also produced by Yujin in 2002.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan; endemic to several islands in the Ryukyu Archipelago
Habitat: Forest edges, agricultural fields; usually on vegetation or in trees
Diet: Insects and spiders
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Takydromus smargdinus is classified by the IUCN as Near Threatened due to predation by invasive weasels and mongooses.

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That's a beautiful figure!

Species: †Shastasaurus pacificus Merriam, 1895

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Prehistoric Life
Year of Production: 2023
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 26 cm for a scale of 1:27 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: CollectA didn't indicate which species this figure represents. Without evidence to the contrary, I am considering it the type species, S. pacificus, at least for the purposes of my collection. CollectA discussed S. sikanniensis in promotional material, but made no specific claim that the figure was intended to represent that species. The scale above is calculated based on an estimated body length of 7 meters for the actual animal. If this figure was to represent the larger S. sikanniensis, the scale would be closer to 1:80. However, it should be noted that S. sikanniensis may actually be better attributed to the genus Shonisaurus or another genus all together.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Late Triassic (Carnian-Norian) of present-day western North America
Habitat: Pelagic
Diet: Presumably primarily cephalopods; also fish, marine reptiles
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Shastasaurus pacificus had a long, toothless mouth, suggesting it may have been a suction feeder that fed primarily on soft-bodied cephalopods that lacked a protective shell.

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What me bores me a little, is its cetacean-like tail..

Caracal wrote:

What me bores me a little, is its cetacean-like tail..

Ichtyosaurs never copied cetacean tails, it's not even plagiarism by anticipation

More seriously, mammals like whales and other dolphins have horizontal tails unlike fish and reptiles which have vertical ones.

Kikimalou wrote:

Caracal wrote:

What me bores me a little, is its cetacean-like tail..

Ichtyosaurs never copied cetacean tails, it's not even plagiarism by anticipation

More seriously, mammals like whales and other dolphins have horizontal tails unlike fish and reptiles which have vertical ones.

but this one seems horizontal too!..

Caracal wrote:

Kikimalou wrote:

Caracal wrote:

What me bores me a little, is its cetacean-like tail..

Ichtyosaurs never copied cetacean tails, it's not even plagiarism by anticipation

More seriously, mammals like whales and other dolphins have horizontal tails unlike fish and reptiles which have vertical ones.

but this one seems horizontal too!..

Absolutely not, have a look [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Oh yes and I already had seen it!

Species: Golofa porteri Hope, 1837

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bandai
Series: Diversity of Life on Earth - Beetles Vol. 4
Year of Production: 2023
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding cephalic horn) 6.3 cm. Body length (including cephalic horn) approximately 9.5 cm. Front femur 2.8 cm for a scale of 1.2:1 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other figures in the Diversity of Life on Earth line, this model is large, requires assembly, and may be expensive; it is not a toy to be played with. Smaller versions of this species were made by Sega and Kabaya. I had difficulty researching information on the metrics of this species. One website indicates the length is 5-10 cm, but I do not know if that includes the cephalic horn or not. A published study describing an example of teratology in G. porteri indicates the length of a normal front femur is 2.4 cm. That put the scale of this figure slightly over 1:1, which seemed big to me. However, looking at 'in hand' pics of the actual animal online, it looks like it really is that large.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central America and northern South America, from Guatemala to Venezuela
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical rainforest
Diet: Larvae develop in rotting wood; adults have been documented feeding on Chusquea (South American bamboo)
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: I had difficulty researching information on this species. In Colombia, adults have been observed feeding and mating on Chusquea. Males use their elongated pronotal and cephalic horns in combat to secure feeding sites and mates.

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Species: Cynoscion nebulosus Cuvier in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1830
Common name(s): speckled trout; spotted seatrout

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Toy Fish Factory
Series: Gulf Coast Collection
Year of Production: 2019
Size/Scale: Body length 6.5 cm for a scale of 1:3.8-1:5.5; upwards of 1:15 for a maximum-sized specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This is one of four 'unique' species in the Gulf Coast Collection, the others being redfish, Atlantic tarpon, and common snook. And the fifth species in the set, great barracuda, is suprisingly rare in toy form!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: West Atlantic, from Maryland to Florida, and the Gulf of Mexico
Habitat: Estuarine coasts, seagrass beds, salt marshes, tidal pools; demersal, at depths of 1-18 meters
Diet: Smaller fish eat primarily marine crustaceans; larger fish prey on other fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Cynoscion nebulosus is a very popular game fish, both for commerical and recreational fishermen. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, C. nebulosis is annually within the top ten species for recreational fishing in the United States.

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Very nice fish but I must say I'm very envious of your background styles

Kikimalou wrote:

Very nice fish but I must say I'm very envious of your background styles

Many of the flat ones like this are Dioramansion, a lot are available on Amazon and eBay. They are small and better for smaller figures (TOOB, gashapon, etc.)

A fish from my favourite set.

Species: Dipsastraea pallida (Dana, 1846)
Common name(s): knob coral

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Corals in Colour
Year of Production: 2005
Size/Scale: Width approximately 2.5 cm for a scale of 1:12-1:40 for a large colony
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): unknown
Miscellaneous Notes: The Yujin corals are small and made out of a limestone-calcium carbonate sandstone, rather than the usual PVC. They can make great accessories for other sealife figures.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-Pacific
Habitat: Coral reefs, at depths of 6-50 meters
Diet: Nutrients derived from symbiotic zooxanthellae; also planktonic microorganisms via filter feeding
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Dipsastraea pallida is hermaphroditic. Mature gametes are shed into the coelenteron and spawned through the mouth. Fertilization takes place in the open water. The zygote develops into a planktonic planula larva. Metamorphosis begins with early morphogenesis of tentacles, septa, and pharynx before larval settlement on a substrate.

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Interesting the fact they use a different material, maybe it is to give a more realistic feeling.