Mathison Museum of Natural History

Species: Dermatophagoides spp.
Common name(s): house dust mite

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Play Visions
Series: Fleas, Lice, and Ticks
Year of Production: 1999
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding appendages) approximately 3.8 cm for a scale of 190:1-127:1
Frequency of species/genus in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This our second look at a dust mite in the Museum. Strangely, this is the only figure in the set (or any Play Visions set for that matter that I am aware of) with anthropomorphized eyes.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Cosmopolitan
Habitat: Human habitations, especially warm, humid environments in carpets, upholstery, under furniture, pillows, and mattresses
Diet: Human and pet dander, fungi, organic detritus
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Dermatophagoides spp. can cause oral mite anaphylaxis (i.e. 'pancake syndrome') when found in flour and consumed by individuals with severe dust mite allergies.

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

what a Huge dust mite
I'd be scared to go into my library haha!
This is a very beautiful figure actually.

Species: Megadyptes antipodes (Hombron & Jacquinot, 1841)
Common name(s): yellow-eyed penguin; hoiho

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yowie Group
Series: Wild Water Series
Year of Production: 2019
Size/Scale: Height approximately 5.0 cm for a scale of 1:12.4-1:15.8
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: I might replace this figure with the 2023 version by Toymany if I can ever find it sold individually.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southern New Zealand
Habitat: Coastal forests
Diet: Fish, marine invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: There are three subspecies of M. antipodes, the nominate subspecies (M. a. antipodes) and two extinct subspecies, the Waitaha penguin (M. a. waitaha), which was present on North Island, South Island, and Codfish Island, and Richdale's penguin (M. a. richdalei), which was endemic to the Chatham Islands. Megadyptes a. antipodes is believed to only have colonized mainland New Zealand in the last 200 years. It expanded its range from subantarctic islands to South Island to replace M. a. waitaha, which became extinct around 1300-1500 after Polynesian settlers arrived on the island.

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

Species: Carabus auratus Linnaeus, 1761
Common name(s): golden ground beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bullyland
Series: Small Insects and Spiders
Year of Production: 1994
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding appendages) approximately 4.2 cm for a scale of 2.5:1-1.4:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen C. auratus in the Museum. Several of Bullyland's insects were released in two colors, as shown here. While green is typical for this species, both green and blue are natural (although the pronotum should be the same color as the elytra). The blue form is more commonly seen with the subspecies C. a. honnoratii.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Western and Central Europe; naturalized in North America (New England area)
Habitat: Forest margins, grasslands, fields, agricultural fields, parks and gardens; often in areas with loamy soil
Diet: Snails and slugs, earthworms, soft-bodied insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Carabus auratus is a voracious active predator of soft-bodied invertebrates. It seizes prey in its mandibles and then sprays the prey with a digestive secretion before consuming it. Common prey include terrestrial slugs, snails, and earthworms. The beetle is considered benficial in gardens as they hunt the larvae of beetles and lepidopterans regarded as pests.

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

Species: Anthopleura xanthogrammica (Brandt, 1835)
Common name(s): giant green anemone

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Series: Yowies Series 5
Year of Production: 2000
Size/Scale: Total figure height approximately 5.0 cm. Diameter of column approximately 1.2 cm for a scale of 1:14.6.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Cadbury Yowies, some assembly is required. This is an interesting choice for the Yowies series as, from what I can tell, the species doesn't occur in the waters around Australia.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Pacific, from Alaska to Panama
Habitat: Mid-intertidal zones of rocky shores, tide pools, concrete pilings in bays and harbors, deep channels, caves; at depths of 0-30 meters
Diet: Marine invertebrates, small fish; additional nutrition is derived from symbiotic photosynthetic algae (zoochlorellae) and dinoflagellates (zooxanthellae) living in their epidermis and tissues.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Some populations of A. xanthogrammica that live in deeper channels and caves have reduced or no symbiotic zoochlorellae and zooxanthellae and tend to be less colorful.

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

Species: Cervus canadensis (Erxleben, 1777)
Common name(s): elk; wapati

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari North American Wildlife
Year of Production: 2013
Size/Scale: Height at shoulder approximately 7.0 cm for a scale of 1:10.7-1:21.4
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure was the successor to Safari's first standard-sized elk (2000-2013). Just last year in 2023, Safari produced a larger elk in their Wild Wildlife (formerly Wildlife Wonders) collection. CollectA is scheduled to release a nice version later this year. Another popular example was produced by Tree House Kids in 2009, although the figure can be hard to find these days and is prone to breakage.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Holarctic; current range predominately in the Rocky Mountain region of North America and boreal East and Central Asia. Introduced in other parts of the world for game, including Ireland, Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand.
Habitat: Open woodlands, aspen-hardwood forests, mixed conifer-hardwood forests, coniferous swamps, clear cuts
Diet: In the summer, diet consists mainly of grasses, sedges, forbs; in the winter mainly woody growth
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Cervus canadensis is a gregarious species. In the summer, herds can number upwards of 400 individuals. These herds are matriarchal and dominated by a single cow. Seasonal migration is based on elevation, with herds living at higher elevations in the spring and summer and descending to lower elevations in the winter. I live in an area inhabited by elk. Last winter (2022-2023) we had record snow where I live. It forced elk down into the Salt Lake Valley and at least a couple times, large herds found their way onto large highways, causing substantial traffic delays. A colleague friend of mine had herds in his neighborhood.

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

Species: Odontodactylus brevirostris (Miers, 1884)
Common name(s): shortnose mantis shrimp

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Series: Yowies Series 3
Year of Production: 1999
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding appendages) approximately 5.0 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Cadbury Yowies, assembly is required

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Widespread in tropical and subtropical waters, including the Indo-West Pacific (Africa to Australia, Philippines, Japan), Central Pacific (Hawaii), East Pacific (southwestern North America and Central America), West Atlantic (southeastern USA and Caribbean to Brazil)
Habitat: Benthic; usually in areas with soft substrates, and occasionally coral reefs, at depths of 0-424 meters
Diet: Marine invertebrates, small fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Odontodactylus brevirostris has smasher-type appendages for subduing prey, comprised of hard, calcified heels at the base of the dactyl and sharp teeth on the inner margin.

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

bmathison1972 wrote:

Species: Cervus canadensis (Erxleben, 1777)
Common name(s): elk; wapati

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wild Safari North American Wildlife
Year of Production: 2013

I don't have any wapiti in my collection, not convinced by the toys in the market even if is one was the closest to my dreams. I will wait the new CollectA to decide.

bmathison1972 wrote:

Species: Odontodactylus brevirostris (Miers, 1884)
Common name(s): shortnose mantis shrimp

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Series: Yowies Series 3
Year of Production: 1999

I hope one day Safari Ltd will make one for the Incredible creatures series

Species: Allotopus rosenbergi (Snellen van Vollenvoven in Parry, 1872)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Colorata
Series: Tropical Rain Forest Stag Beetles
Year of Production: 2005
Size/Scale: Log base 7.0 cm long. Body length (including mandibles) approximately 6.0 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the seventh time we've seen A. rosenbergi in the Museum. The beetle is removable from its base and minimal assembly is required (the legs need to be attached).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae breed in decaying wood; adults presumably feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: I had trouble researching information on this species. Allotopus rosenbergi is popular with collectors (and Japanese toy insect manufacturers) but not as common in terraria with breeders as larvae require wood infected with particular fungi.

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

Programming Note: I have changed 'About the Animal' to 'About the Organism' since not everything in my collection is technically an animal, and by animal I mean Holozoa...


Species: Daubentonia madagascariensis Gmelin, 1788
Common name(s): aye-aye

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Colorata
Series: Ueno Zoo Box
Year of Production: 2004
Size/Scale: Total figure height approximately 4.5 cm. Body length (excluding tail) approximately 3.0 cm for a scale of 1:12-1:14.3.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The lemur is permanently affixed to the base. Play Visions made one that's not on a base, but it's undoubtedly harder to find than this one!

About the Organism:
Geographic distribution: Madagascar
Habitat: Primary and secondary rainforest, plantations, dry scrub forest, mangrove forest
Diet: Seeds, nuts, fruit, nectar, plant exudates, fungi, honey, wood-boring insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Daubentonia madagascariensis has several unusual derived features which historically made its classification challenging. One of its most outstanding features is its long fingers, particularly the middle finger which is more slender than the others and possesses a ball-and-socket metacarpophalangeal joint. It is used for tapping the bark of trees to detect xylophagous (wood-boring) insect larvae, and then to pry the potential larvae out of the wood. It is also used for piercing the skin of fruit and scooping out the contents.

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

Species: Plestiodon japonicus (Peters, 1864)
Common name(s): Japanese five-lined skink

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Ikimon
Series: Nature Techni Colour - Lizard and Gecko Collection
Year of Production: 2022 (2010)
Size/Scale: Total figure length approximately 10.5 cm. Snout-to-vent length (SVL) of adult approximately 4.0 cm for a scale of 1:1.5-1:2.3. Having trouble finding metrics for the juvenile, but it is the same size as the adult (see below) and probably closer to 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: These two figures represent the same sculpt, just painted as an adult (upper) and juvenile (lower). They also both possess non-obtrusive magnets on the underside. This set was first released by Kitan Club in 2010 and then again by Ikimon in 2015 and 2022. I am not entirely sure which set mine came from, but given that I bought them in 2023, they most probably came from the 2022 release.

About the Organism:
Geographic distribution: Japan, including Western Honshū, Northern Ryukyu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and some surrounding islands; introduced to the Hachijō-jima (Izu Peninsula)
Habitat: Woodlands, forest margins, suburban and urban parks and gardens
Diet: Insects and arachnids
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Plestiodon japonicus is most similar to P. latiscutatus and the two species are naturally separated geographically, although P. japonicus has been introduced to areas where P. latiscutatus is native, and the two species have hybridized. Plestiodon latiscutatus is endemic to the Izu Peninsula while P. japonicus is found on southwestern Honshū exclusive of the Izu Peninsula (except for Hachijō-jima where the introduced populations occur). A third similar species, P. finitimus, occurs in eastern Honshū and Hokkaido; it was separated from P. japonicus in 2012 based on DNA barcoding. The separation of P. latiscutatus and P. japonicus is believed to have occurred during the mid-Pleistocene when a former sea separated the Izu Peninsula from the rest of Japan. Today, the Fuji and Sakawa Rivers mark the natural separation of the two species.

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

Species: Dynastes hercules (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): Hercules beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Epoch
Series: Beetle Battle 1
Year of Production: 2005
Size/Scale: Body length (including pronotal horn) approximately 7.3 cm for a scale of 1:2-1:2.5 for a large major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is our twelfth time seeing D. hercules in the Museum. There are two 'Beetle Battle' sets by Epoch, both released in 2005. The sets feature pairs of scarabaeoid beetles that can be displayed as if 'locked in battle'. Each beetle comes with a base that loosely interlocks with the base of the beetle it's paired with. Today's D. hercules was paired with D. neptunus (see inset). The beetles require assembly and are removable from their bases.

About the Organism:
Geographic distribution: Central and South America, Caribbean
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting wood; adults are attracted to fresh and overripe fruit
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other large, horned dynastine scarabs, male D. hercules use their pronotal and cephalic horns for battling rival males for mating rights to females and securing feeding and breeding sites.

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

Wonderful Ikimon skinks and Epoch Hercules beetle!

Species: Latrodectus katipo Powell, 1871
Common name(s): katipō

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Series: Yowies Series 2
Year of Production: 1998
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding appendages) approximately 3.3 cm for a scale of 4:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Cadbury Yowies, assembly is required and the final product is somewhat stylized.

About the Organism:
Geographic distribution: Coastal New Zealand
Habitat: Coastal sand dunes; webs are made on vegetation, under driftwood, under stones, in discarded cans and bottles
Diet: Small insects and arachnids
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated [listed as Serious Decline by the New Zealand Threat Classification System, NZ TCS]
Miscellaneous Notes: Latrodectus katipo is believed to be descended from the redback spider (L. hasseltii) from mainland Australia. There are two forms of katipō, the black and red, the latter of which is sometimes given its own species designation (L. atritus). The red katipō is found at the western tip of Taranaki on the west coast, and just north of Waipatiki Beach in Hawke's Bay on the east coast. The black katipō is found from Aotea Harbour, just north of Kawhia on the west coast, and Waipiro Bay and just south of the Bay of Plenty on the east coast. Both forms are found in the areas in between these.

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

Species: Zhangixalus arboreus (Okada & Kawano, 1924)
Common name(s): forest green tree frog; Kinugasa flying frog

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Yujin
Series: Frogs in Colour Pictorial Book
Year of Production: 2009
Size/Scale: Total figure height approximately 3.8 cm. Scale difficult to calculate, but snout-to-vent length approximately 3.5 cm for a scale of 1:1.2-1:1.7 for a male frog or 1:1.7-1:2.3 for a female frog.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Yujin had previously produced a smaller version of this species in 2002 for the Primary Colour Frogs collection. It was also produced by Kaiyodo (at least twice) and Colorata. Figures of this species were marketed as Rhacaphorus arboreus before description of Zhangixalus in 2019 (see below).

About the Organism:
Geographic distribution: Japan (Honshu, Sado)
Habitat: Moist forests, freshwater marshes, irrigated land. Breeding occurs in ponds and rice fields; outside of the breeding season, frogs are usually in trees and forest litter.
Diet: Insects and arachnids
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Zhangixalus arboreus was originally described in the genus Rhacophorus. In 2019, Rhacophorus was divided into three genera based on molecular studies supported by morphology and geographic distribution. The three genera were Rhacophorus sensu stricto, Leptomantis (previously a synonym of Rhacophorus), and Zhangixalus, which was described new in that study.

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

I absolutely love the PV dust mite. I understand that its eyes are totally inaccurate and really should have been done in any other way other than cartoony like that, but it makes me laugh whenever I look at it and so it has gained a special place in my collection. Come to find out, dust mites are my worst allergen ('off the charts' the doctor said), so at least me and this weird one can be friends.

The Japanese skink and the forest green tree frog are stunning!! I love how varied your presentation of your collection is, so much that you had to expand to "organism" rather than "animal."