Mathison Museum of Natural History

Wonderful species, model and picture!

Species: Camponotus japonicus Mayr, 1866
Common name(s): Japanese carpenter ant

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bandai
Series: Diversity of Life on Earth - Ants
Year of Production: 2022
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 9.0 cm for a scale of 15:1-6:1 for a worker, depending on its role in the colony
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This model is large, requires assembly, and the final product is articulated. The set also included a model of C. obscuripes, which appears to use the same sculpt.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East and Southeast Asia, Philippines, Japan
Habitat: Forests, forest edges, grasslands, parks and gardens; nests are made in logs and in the dead parts of standing trees
Diet: aphid honeydew, dead insects, pollen
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like many other ants, C. japonicus has a trophobiotic relationship with aphids, most notably Chaitophorus saliniger. As they feed, the aphids pass a mixture of sugars, amino acids, amides, proteins, vitamins, and minerals from their anus. This mixture, referred to as 'honeydew' is eaten by the ants, which in turn provide protection for the aphids.

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Species: Goliathus regius Klug, 1835
Common name(s): royal Goliath beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Play Visions
Series: Exotic Beetles
Year of Production: 1998
Size/Scale: Wingspan 7.8 cm. Body length approximately 4.0 cm for a scale of 1:1.25-1:2.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was only stamped as a 'Goliath beetle'. The species-level identification is my own based on the color pattern, taking into consideration Play Visions figures often have stylized paint jobs. This identification made this figure unique for this species, until just last year when the species was produced twice, by SO-TA and Stasto 3D File.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Equatorial West Africa, from approximately Sierra Leone to Equatorial Guinea
Habitat: Rainforest
Diet: Larvae feed on humus and detritus in soil and rotting wood; adults feed on ripe fruit and sap flows on trees
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Unlike many beetles, cetoniine scarabs, including members of the genus Goliathus, close their front wings (elytra) when in flight.

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Species: Hypochrysops miskini (Waterhouse, 1903)
Common name(s): coral jewel

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Toy Major
Series: Butterflies
Year of Production: 1996
Size/Scale: Wingspan approximately 7.0 cm for a scale of 2.3:1
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 mine or by other forum members). Today's butterfly is essentially a generic purple butterfly. I chose to have mine represent H. miskini as it can have a similar color pattern, being purple with a dark apex on the front wings. Hypochrysops miskini is sexually dimorphic, and this figure would represent a male butterfly. This toy can probably be a stand-in for numerous other purple lycaenids, including other members of the genus Hypochrysops.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Australia (Queensland) and southern Papua New Guinea
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae feed on a variety of plants, including Maesa (walking vine), Guioa (glossy tamarind), Glochidion (Harvey's buttonwood), Rhodamyrtus (ironwood), Eucalyptus (eucalyptus), Melastoma (Australian native lasiandra), Wilkiea (tetra beech); adults feed on nectar from flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like many other lycaenid butterflies, larvae of H. miskini are tended to by ants. In this case, the host ant is Anonychomyrma gilberti.

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Species: Scorpio maurus Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): large-clawed scorpion; Israeli gold scorpion

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bandai
Series: Diversity of Life on Earth - Scorpions
Year of Production: 2022
Size/Scale: Body length (including metastoma) 10.0 cm for a scale of 2:1-1.4:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: My model came assembled, but assembly could be required. There are multiple points of articulation. The same sculpt was also used for Pandinus imperator and Pandinoides cavimanus in the same set.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North Africa and the Middle East
Habitat: Deserts, dry forests; in areas where ground substrate is adequate for burrowing. Burrows can be 20-70 cm deep.
Diet: Insects and other arachnids
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Scorpio maurus has a painful sting, but its venom is mild and not considered harmful for healthy humans. The venom contains a mixture of proteases, phospholipases, protease inhibitors, and potassium channel toxins δ-KTx. There are no documented human fatalities associated with the sting of S. maurus.

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Species: Furcifer pardalis (Cuvier, 1829)
Common name(s): panther chameleon

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Primary Colour Lizards Book
Year of Production: 2002
Size/Scale: Total figure length 10.0 cm. Snout-to-vent (SVL) length approximately 5.2 cm for a scale of 1:2-1:3.4 for a male specimen (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This sculpt was originally used by Play Visions in 1995 for their Chameleons and Geckos collection. Based on the vibrant color scheme of this figure, it was probably intended to represent a male specimen.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Madagascar; introduced to USA (Florida), Réunion, and Mauritius
Habitat: Lowland dry deciduous forest, forest edges, savanna, plantations, disturbed areas
Diet: Terrestrial invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Furcifer pardalis exhibits marked sexual dimorphism. Males are larger, with an average SVL of 13.84 cm and are much more vibrantly and variably colored. Females are smaller, with an average SVL of 9.19 cm and are more uniformly colored green to pink.

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Very different in colour from the Play Visions version. TAW says that the PV is also a panther chameleon. Can they have such different colours?

rogerpgvg wrote:

Very different in colour from the Play Visions version. TAW says that the PV is also a panther chameleon. Can they have such different colours?

PV are know for rather stylized paint jobs. Yujin's is more realistic.

Species: Crossaster papposus (Linnaeus, 1767)
Common name(s): common sunstar; rose seastar

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Play Visions
Series: Starfish
Year of Production: 1996
Size/Scale: Body approximately 6.0 cm in diameter for a scale of 1:5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The Play Visions starfish were also released by an unknown (?) company that are just as good as the originals, at least in terms of the quality of the plastic and the paint jobs. The only difference is that figures in this other release don't have the common English name stamped on the underside, as Play Visions' figures do. They are marked with 'S.H.' however, which could refer to the Hong Kong-based company, Shing Hing Toys. It is likely this second company worked with whoever originally produced the PV figures (assuming they didn't produce them themselves). Today's figure is one of those specifically marketed by Play Visions, but a couple that are likely to be seen in this thread are from this alternate set/company.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Circumpolar in the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and adjacent seas
Habitat: Benthic; usually on rocky bottoms at depths of 0-1,200 meters
Diet: Benthic invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Crossaster papposus is considered a dominant predator in it habitat and can have an influence in determining community structure, such as having a role in the dispersal of other predatory asteroids it may be in competition with. Crossaster papposus feeds on other benthic invertebrates, especially urchins, and will also scavenge. Cannibalism is very rare, however.

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Species: Calappa lophos (Herbst, 1782)
Common name(s): red-streaked box crab; common box crab

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Kurioso Komekko Series 2
Year of Production: 2003
Size/Scale: Bottlecap base 3.3 cm. Carapace width approximately 3.3 cm for a scale of 1:2.1-1:3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon to rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The crab is safely removable from it's habitat-style base, which in turn is removable from the bottlecap base. To my knowledge, this was the first figure of this species. Kaiyodo would make this species two more times, in 2013 (Capsule Q Museum - Japanese Crabs Collection) and 2018 (Aquatales - Protagonists of the Sea). All three are very similar in size and sculpt and may be slight variations of one another (especially with regards to the 2003 and 2018 figures).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-Pacific
Habitat: Coral reefs; in sandy or muddy areas at depths of 10-100 meters
Diet: Hard-shelled mollusks, hermit crabs residing in gastropod shells
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Members of the genus Calappa, including C. lophos, have their right pincer specially adapted for breaking open the hard shells of their mollusk and crustacean prey.

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Species: Coenobita sp.
Common name(s): terrestrial hermit crab

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Eikoh
Series: Miniatureplanet Vol. 15
Year of Production: 2018
Size/Scale: Total figure width 5.7 cm. Scale difficult to calculate, but may be in scale 1:1 for some species (at least as a juvenile if not adult)
Frequency of genus in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was not marketed at the species level, but was probably intended to represent one of the five species from Japan (see below).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-Pacific, West Africa, East Pacific (Central and South America), West Atlantic (North, Central, and South America, West Indies)
Habitat: Coastal forests, mangrove swamps, salt marshes, sand hills, intertidal zones
Diet: Vegetation, fruit, carrion, dung
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [species-dependent]
Miscellaneous Notes: There are roughly 16 species of Coenobita: C. brevimanus (Indo-Pacific, from Zanzibar to Tahiti, southern Japan); C. carnescens (Eastern Polynesia, Marshall Islands); C. cavipes (broadly distributed in the Indo-Pacific from East Africa to Japan, Polynesia, Micronesia); C. compressus (Pacific Coast of America, from Baja California to Chile); C. clypeatus (Atlantic Coast of America, from Florida to Venezuela, West Indies, Bermuda); C. lila (Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia); C. longitarsus (East Indies), C. perlatus (Indo-West Pacific, Australia, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands); C. pseudorugosus (Indo-West Pacific, from Japan to Indonesia); C. purpureus (Japan, Singapore, Taiwan); C rubescens (West Africa); C. rugosus (widespread in the Indo-Pacific, from East Africa to Tahiti and Tuamoto Islands); C. scaevola (Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, coasts of Somalia and Pakistan); C. spinosus (Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia, northern Australia); C. variablis (northern Australia); C. violescens (Into-Pacific, from Tanzania and Zanzibar to Bangladesh, Japan, Philippines).

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fine model and picture!

Species: Dorcus titanus palawanicus Lacloix, 1983
Common name(s): giant stag beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King - large series, standard
Year of Production: 2003
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 11.0 cm, within scale 1:1 for a large specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the third time we've seen D. titanus in the Museum, and the second time we've seen this subspecies. It is probably the most commonly made subspecies of the five subspecies (that I am aware of) of D. titanus available as toys/figures.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Philippines (Palawan)
Habitat: Lowland and montane tropical and subtropical rainforest
Diet: Larvae develop in rotting wood; adults feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: At nearly 11 centimeters for a maximum-sized specimen, D. t. palawanicus is the largest of the 20+ subspecies of Dorcus titanus. This is another species that is sometimes placed in the genus Serrognathus, due to serrations on the mandibles.

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Species: Chiloscyllium punctatum Müller & Henle, 1838
Common name(s): brownbanded bamboo shark; grey carpetshark

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Sealife
Year of Production: 2019
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 13.5 cm for a scale of 1:2.2 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was sculpted and painted as a juvenile. The scale above is based on the maximum length for a juvenile with this color pattern. K&M International (1993) and Bandai (2023) also made this species, but again as juveniles. I am unaware of any figures of this species representing adults. This figure appears to only have four gill slits, but there are five (which is accurate); the last gill slit just isn't painted. In nature, the fourth and fifth slits are very close together and can give the impression there are only four.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-West Pacific
Habitat: Coral reefs, tide pools; at depths of 0-85 meters
Diet: Benthic fish and invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Near Threatened
Miscellaneous Notes: Chiloscyllium punctatum has the ability to survive out of the water for upwards of 12 hours!

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Species: Macrodontia cervicornis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): sabertooth longhorn beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Play Visions
Series: Exotic Beetles
Year of Production: 1998
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) approximately 5.7 cm for a scale of 1:3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen M. cervicornis in the Museum, and the last time interestingly was earlier this month! The other figure, by Kabaya, and this one by Play Visions are the only two figures of this species I am aware of!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: South America (Amazon River Basin)
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae feed in decaying coniferous trees; adults do not feed
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Larvae of M. cervicornis can live up to 10 years in the host substrate. Adults are short-lived, however, living only for a few months for dispersal and reproduction.

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Species: Crocuta crocuta (Erxleben, 1777)
Common name(s): spotted hyena; laughing hyena

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari Wildlife
Year of Production: 2007
Size/Scale: Height at shoulder approximately 6.0 cm for a scale of 1:12.5-1:14
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: Nearly 16 years old and still one of the best representatives of spotted hyena available. Mojö Fun released a decent one in 2011. Papo produced one in 2019 but its ears are too pointed for the species. Schleich produced one in 2015 that was re-released in a 'Hyena Attack' playset in 2021. Still, none of these compare to today's Safari model, in my personal opinion.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Sub-Saharan Africa
Habitat: Dry open forests, semi-deserts, savanna, acacia scrub
Diet: Non-discriminant predator on many other animals, including large ungulates and livestock, springhares, porcupines, snakes, birds and bird eggs, and even other carnivores such as bat-eared foxes, African golden jackals, lions, and other hyenas. Contrary to popular belief, C. crocuta is rarely a scavenger.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Crocuta crocuta has a powerful bite which can exert a pressure of 80 kgf/cm2 (1140 lbf/in²), greater than that of a leopard, and can rival a brown bear in bone-crushing ability.

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The best Crocuta model according to me!

Species: †Australopithecus afarensis Johnson et al., 1978

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bullyland
Series: Evolution of Men
Year of Production: 1999
Size/Scale: Height approximately 8.0 cm for an average scale of 1:20.6 for a male specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Australopithecus was also made by Kaiyodo twice and Safari Ltd. three times (including a model of a skull). Bullyland didn't specify a species, but I am assuming it's A. afarensis as it's the most popular and familiar species thanks in part to the 'Lucy' fossil (AL 288-1).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Pliocene of East Africa
Habitat: Open woodlands, grassland, shrubland, savanna, riparian areas
Diet: Leaves, fruit, nuts, seeds, tubers; possibly also insects and eggs
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Not much is known about the cultural development of A. afarensis. The early hominid probably used simple tools, such as sticks, rocks, and animal bones; however, there is no evidence that these objects were modified to serve specific functions. Australopithecus afarensis was not clothed and did not use fire.

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Species: Lynx pardinus (Temminck, 1827)
Common name(s): Iberian lynx

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Mojö Fun
Series: Wildlife
Year of Production: 2012
Size/Scale: Head-and-body length (exclusive of tail) approximately 7.0 cm for a scale of 1:10.7-1:11.7 for a male or 1:9.7-1:11 for a female (the figure is not sexed).
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Having bought my figure five years after its release, mine doesn't have the nicest paint job. In general, I feel Mojö Fun figures can be unpredictable in the quality of their paint jobs (probably one of the reasons I haven't bought any new figure of theirs in a few years now). Still, it's a nice sculpt and there aren't many other options out there.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and southwestern Spain)
Habitat: Mediterranean scrubland intermixed with open grassland and marshland
Diet: Generalist predator; primary prey is European rabbit, but also European hares, rodents, juvenile ungulates, and birds
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Lynx pardinus is a solitary animal that exhibits a metapopulation social structure. Males and females may have overlapping territories, and cats will defend their territories against other members of the same sex. Average territories for females are 5.2–6.6 km2 while those of males are 11.8–12.2 km2.

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Species: Rana japonica Boulenger, 1879
Common name(s): Japanese brown frog

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Frogs in Colour Pictorial Book
Year of Production: 2009
Size/Scale: Snout-to-vent length approximately 3.5 cm for an average scale of 1:1.3 for a male or 1:1.5 for a female
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Yujin also produced an adult of this species in their Primary Colour Frogs Pictorial Book, along with two immature developmental stages. Adults have also been produced by Kaiyodo and Colorata.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan
Habitat: Wet temperate grasslands, hillsides, plains, rivers, swamps, irrigated land, flooded agricultural land
Diet: Tadpoles eat algae and microorganisms; adults feed on small terrestrial invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: The breeding season for R. japonica is January to March. Egg masses containing 500-3,000 eggs are laid at the bottom of the spawning site. After egg-laying, adults become dormant in the mud until May when they re-emerge and migrate back to where they usually reside, often on hillsides and plains. Metamorphosis takes place in May and June and roughly half of the froglets become sexually mature by late October of the same year while the others mature the following year.

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Species: Giraffa tippelskirchi (Matschie, 1898)
Common name(s): Masai giraffe; Thornicroft's giraffe

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Mojö Fun
Series: Wildlife
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Height approximately 13.5 cm for a scale of 1:40
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare to unique (see below)
Miscellaneous Notes: Most giraffe figures are not marketed at the species level (see below) and are mostly presumed to represent the reticulated giraffe (G. reticulata). Today's figure by Mojö Fun was specifically marketed as a Masai giraffe. I am personally unfamiliar with any other figures specifically marketed as this ecotype.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia; see below)
Habitat: Savanna
Diet: Browser of trees and shrubs, especially of Fabaceae (Acacia and kin)
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: The taxonomy of giraffes seems to be constantly changing, and depending on the system followed, there can be anywhere from 1-8 species. Various factors used to define the different species have included coat color, geographic distribution, behavior, and genetic markers. Two of the more recent independent molecular studies, using multi-locus analysis (2016) and whole-genome analysis (2021) respectively, support the recognition of four species: G. camelopardis (West African, Kordofan, and Nubian giraffes), C. reticulata (reticulated giraffe), C. tippelskirchi (Masai and Thornicroft's giraffes), and C. giraffa (Southern African giraffe). The studies also align with some of the earlier distributional and morphologic data.

In this four-species system, the Masai and Thornicroft's giraffes are considered the same species. The Masai population occurs in central and southern Kenya and much of Tanzania, while the Thornicroft's ecotype is restricted to the Luangwa Valley in eastern Zambia. Authorities who follow the eight-species system consider Thornicroft's giraffe its own species (G. thornicrofti), although it's very rarely recognized as such.

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Nice giraffe