Mathison Museum of Natural History

Wonderful model and picture!

Oh I was just admiring Paige's giant salamander model! It's really so good! Maybe 2024 will be the year I start looking into Japanese figures . . .

Species: †Sinemys gamera Brinkman & Peng, 1993

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Dinotales Series 1
Year of Production: 2001
Size/Scale: Carapace length approximately 3.5 cm. Using lateral spine as a metric (n=1.2 cm), scale comes to approximately 1:5 based on the holotype (IVPP V9532-1).
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Dinotales figures, some assembly is required.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Early Cretaceous (Valanginian-Albian) of present-day China
Habitat: Freshwater rivers and streams
Diet: Presumably omnivorous on freshwater invertebrates, fish, aquatic vegetation
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: The long spines extending from the carapace of S. gamera are believed to be an example of neoteny, whereby juvenile features are retained into adulthood. Similar structures are seen on juveniles of the related S. lens.

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Nice again

Species: †Paranthropus boisei (Leakey, 1959)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Dinotales Series 2
Year of Production: 2001
Size/Scale: Height (excluding base) approximately 6.5 cm for a scale of 1:24 for a male specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Dinotales figures, some assembly is required. The figure is removable from its base, but leaves small pegs under its feet.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Early Pleistocene of East Africa
Habitat: Wet woodlands, riparian areas, wetlands, semi-arid woodlands, shrubland
Diet: Vegetation, such as grasses, sedges, roots, tubers, fruits; possibly meat (see below)
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Fossils of P. boisei have been found in association with Oldowan stone tools and animal bones, suggesting a possible omnivorous diet. Paranthropus boisei did not wear clothes nor had a written language, and there is no evidence it could use or control fire.

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5 It's the first time I notice that I have your five last entries

Good unique model!

Species: Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): common raven

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Wings of the World
Year of Production: 2015
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 8.0 cm for a scale of 1:6.5-1:8.9
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: A wonderful sculpt, but I find the paint sloppily applied, especially around the feet!

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Holarctic
Habitat: Treeless tundra, sea coasts, open riverbanks, rocky cliffs, mountain forests, plains, deserts, scrubby woodlands, parks, cemeteries, urban and suburban areas.
Diet: Opportunistic omnivore; primarily carrion but also invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, small mammals and birds, afterbirth of large mammals, grains, acorns, buds, fruit
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Corvus corax has a long history in human mythology and folklore. In Greek mythology, ravens are associated with Apollo, the God of prophecy. They are reported to be a symbol of bad luck, and were the gods’ messengers in the mortal world. In Christian mythology, in the Book of Genesis, Noah released a raven from the ark after the great flood to test whether the waters have receded. And later, after the Christian martyr Saint Vincent of Saragossa was executed, ravens protected his body from being devoured by wild animals, until his followers could recover the body. In Norse mythology, Odin is depicted as having two ravens Huginn and Muninn, serving as his eyes and ears. Among indigenous North Americans, ravens were believed to be the Creator of the World to the Tsimishians, Haidas, Heiltsuks, Tlingits, Kwakwaka'wakw, Coast Salish, Koyukons, and Inuit, but in some of their religions, the raven is also regarded as a trickster god. Ravens continue to be a cultural influence in modern times, from Edgar Allen Poe's famous poem The Raven, to the name and logo of the Baltimore Ravens NFL football team, to the messenger birds in Game of Thrones, which also had a character known as the 'Three-eyed Raven'

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Species: Dynastes grantii Horn, 1870
Common name(s): western Hercules beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: DeAgostini
Series: World Insect Data Book
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (including horns) approximately 6.5 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the fourth time we have D. grantii in the Museum. The DeAgostini insects are cast from actual specimens and are therefore all in the 1:1 range. The figures were sold as premiums with books and come in a plastic display box with their Latin and Japanese names. I am not sure what year the figures were released, and it is possible they were released over multiple years. The original set from Japan consisted of 60 species (59 male Scarabaeoidea and one dragonfly), plus four 'secret' figures representing females of select scarab males. When the set was released in Italy, three of the standard set were replaced with other species, including a leaf insect. Between the two releases and secrets, I think there are 67 figures total representing 63 species. The figures are secured to the base of the box with a small screw, but can be safely removed if one choses to display them outside of the box.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southwestern United States, northern Mexico
Habitat: Subtropical woodlands, particularly in the pine-oak transition zones; often in riparian areas.
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting wood of several trees; adults feed on tree sap, primarily of Fraxinus velutina (Arizona ash).
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Dynastes grantii belongs to the 'white Hercules beetle' lineage which includes five allopatrically distributed North American and Central American taxa, the other four being D. hyllus, D. maya, D. moroni, and D. tityus. In the United States, D. grantii is morphologically very similar to the eastern Hercules beetle, D. tityus. The males even have similar aedeagi and the two species have produced hybrids under laboratory conditions. The best way to separate them is by geographic distribution

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Great looking model.

Species: Oryctes nasicornis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): European rhinoceros beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Heller
Series: Forest Monsters
Year of Production: 2000
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding appendages) approximately 9.5 cm for a scale of 2:1 for a large major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This is a model kit that has to be assembled and painted by the consumer. It comes in 13 pieces in a solid black plastic: venter, elytra, pronotum, head (2 pieces), antennae (2), and legs (6). In this case, I painted individual parts first, and glued everything except the legs together. I then added the clear varnish to the individual legs and the completed body. After the varnish dried, I then glued the legs to the body. I did a review of the process on the Animal Toy Forum here. I would have liked to photograph this model outside, but we got our first real snow dump yesterday so the conditions outside aren't really appropriate for this species :-).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Palearctic, from Europe and North Africa east to Pakistan
Habitat: Temperate forests, gardens, sawmills, racing tracks, suburban areas
Diet: Larvae develop in rotting wood, compost, sawdust; adults do not feed
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Oryctes nasicornis has a long developmental cycle. Larvae develop in non-resinous woody debris for 2-4 years; the size of the adult is based on the quality and ambundance of food consumed by the larvae. Adults emerge in the spring, usually March-May and live for a few months. Adults are most active in June and July at dusk. Adults do not feed and die in the fall after mating and oviposition.

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Species: Phoebis philea (Linnaeus, 1763)
Common name(s): orange-barred sulfur

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Butterflies TOOB
Year of Production: 2011
Size/Scale: Wingspan approximately 5.7 cm for a scale of 1:1.2-1:1.8
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen Phoebis philea in the Museum. The orange-barred sulfur is a go-to species for Safari Ltd., having also been produced for the Authentics (1997), Collectors Case (2001), and Hidden Kingdom Insects (2004) lines.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southern United States (Texas, Florida) to Brazil
Habitat: Open lowlands, forest edges, fields, parks, gardens, roadsides
Diet: Larvae feed on legumes in the genus Cassia; adults feed on nectar from a variety of flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated (NatureServe status: Secure)
Miscellaneous Notes: Breeding populations in the United States occur in Florida and extreme southern Texas; all other records represent strays. There are three subspecies of P. philea. The nominate subspecies P. p. philea occurs throughout the American tropics from southern USA to Brazil while P. p. huebneri and P. p. thalestris are endemic to the islands of Cuba and Hispaniola, respectively.

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Species: Centropyge bicolor (Bloch, 1787)
Common name(s): bicolor angelfish

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: K&M International
Series: Wild Republic - Coral Reef Nature Tube
Year of Production: 1994
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 5.0 cm for a scale of 1:3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The only other figure of this species I am aware of is a slightly larger version by Bullyland. Both are somewhat stylized, but the Bullyland model moreso I believe.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-Pacific
Habitat: Coral reefs; at depths of 1-25 meters
Diet: Marine invertebrates, algae
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Centropyge bicolor lives in harems which consist of a dominant male and about seven females that are ranked by size, with the larger, higher-ranked females spawning more frequently than smaller, lower-ranked females. The species is also a protogynous hermaphrodite, meaning if the male is removed or dies, the highest ranking female will undergo a sex change and become the dominant male.

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Nice treasure

Species: Carabus blaptoides (Kollar, 1836)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Capsule Q Museum - Tohoku
Year of Production: 2013
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding appendages) approximately 5.0 cm, within scale 1:1 for a large specimen
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen C. blaptoides in the Museum. These figures were sold under the genus Damaster, which is now considered a subgenus of Carabus. Having bought these figures nearly a decade ago, I cannot remember if assembly was required or not.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Japan, Russia (Kurile Islands)
Habitat: Deciduous and mixed forests, fields, meadows
Diet: Adult and larvae are specialized predators on terrestrial mollusks
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Carabus blaptoides is a specialized predator on snails and other soft-bodied terrestrial invertebrates. Both adults and larvae have specialized mouthparts for feeding on gastropods hidden within their shells.

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Species: Aphodius fimetarius (Linnaeus, 1758)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Wing Mau
Series: Insects
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 4.3 cm for a scale of 6.2:1-4.8:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The Wing Mau Insects collection consists of 24 figures representing 23 species of beetles (there are two color variants of Adalia bipunctata). The figures have the Latin name printed on the underside. The figures seem to have been influenced by an Italian poster, Beetles, from 1992, as all the species are represented in that poster (including both variants of Adalia bipunctata) and have the same Latin names assigned to them (this poster hangs in my home office; I've had it since 1995). Figures in this set were also produced for Play Visions for their Habitat Earth line. Most of the species in this Wing Mau collection are unique, at least as sculpts.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Palearctic; introduced to North America and possibly Australia (see below)
Habitat: Fields, meadows, livestock pastures
Diet: Large herbivore dung (especially cattle and horses), detritus
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Aphodius fimetarius is a common and familiar dung beetle but has a very messy nomenclatural history after the discovery a cryptic species complex within it, based on morphologic, molecular, and karyotype data. In 2001, Wilson divided A. fimetarius into two species, A. fimetarius and A. pedellus, based on karyotye data. The recognition of two species was confirmed in 2014 by molecular studies. In 2001, Wilson designated lectotypes for the two species; unfortunately, the specimen she chose for A. fimetarius, which was part of the original syntype series, actually represented A. foetens, a valid species that superficially looks like A. fimetarius. In 2012, a syntype was designated by Angus et al. based on karyotype data, although that specimen was not from Linnaeus' series. In 2014, Opinion 2345 of the ICZN set aside Wilson's lectotype and designated a neotype for A. fimetarius. The Opinion also made broad statements suggesting the northern populations should be considered A. fimetarius and the southern populations A. pedellus. However, scarab researchers were aware both species are broadly intermixed throughout most of the Palearctic. Also, the 2014 Opinion made no reference to a work by Rössner in 2012 that used the names A. fimetarius and A. cardinalis for what Wilson referred to as A. pedellus and A. fimetarius, respectively. Also in 2012, Fery designated a neotype for A. cardinalis. So, today, the two species are considered A. fimetarius and A. cardinalis. A 2015 study by Fery and Rössner looked at over 12,000 specimens from throughout the Palearctic. Their data do show that while both species mix in many countries in the region, A. fimetarius does have a more northerly distribution and there is more mixing of both species in the southern part of the region. Still, geographic distribution alone is not satisfactory for separating the two species most of the time and it appears both species have been introducted to North America. Historically, A. fimetarius was considered to have been introduced to Australia as well, but the 2015 study by Fery and Rössner demonstrated only A. cardinalis in Australia.

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Species: Bombus sp.
Common name(s): Bumble bee

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Little Wonders
Year of Production: 2011
Size/Scale: Body length (excluding appendages) approximately 4.3 cm for a scale of 4:1-2:1 depending on the species and caste.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: Bees in general are commonly made, whether by major manufacturers or in generic bin-style sets, but only occasionally specifically advertised as a bumble bee, and even then rarely identified to the species level. The smaller figure in the image is the miniature counterpart of the larger figure; it was released in 2020 as part of the Mini Insects and Spiders collection. All of the figures in the mini collection are simply smaller versions of the standard-sized CollectA figures. The miniature version measures approximately 2.5 cm for a scale of 2:1-1:1 depending on species and caste.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Holarctic, in the Western Hemisphere south to South America; introduced to New Zealand and Tasmania
Habitat: Fields, meadows, forests, parks, gardens, disturbed areas
Diet: Larvae are fed nectar and pollen by adults; adults feed on nectar
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [species-dependent]
Miscellaneous Notes: Bumble bees are eusocial insects (except for the subgenus Psithrys which are social parasites on other bumble bees). Colonies are annual and founded by a single queen. The first brood of worker bees hatches and they care for the next generation. Males are typically produced during midsummer. Eggs are laid in individual cells and hatch after approximately 4 days. Larvae go through four instars of development. They spin cocoons and pupate in about two weeks. Pupae develop for an additional 2 weeks before emerging.

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The CollectA mini models are usually mirror images of the larger models. I don't know whether that is also the case for the insects or whether they are so symmetrical that it isn't visible.

Nice again

rogerpgvg wrote:

The CollectA mini models are usually mirror images of the larger models. I don't know whether that is also the case for the insects or whether they are so symmetrical that it isn't visible.

yes they are mirror images too, although some of them have less-detailed paint jobs. Even when there are minor anatomical errors in the large version, those errors translate over into the mini!

Species: Aetobatus ocellatus (Kuhl, 1823)
Common name(s): ocellated eagle ray; whitespotted eagle ray

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Mojö Fun
Series: Sealife
Year of Production: 2018
Size/Scale: Disk width approximately 14.5 cm for a scale of 1:6.9-1:20
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare (see below)
Miscellaneous Notes: Mojö Fun marketed this figure as a 'spotted eagle ray' (for which are are several species in two genera) but based on the ocellated spots and dark black base, A. ocellatus is the most viable candidate to its identity. Aetobatus ocellatus is also a larger species, and this figure scales larger than other spotted eagle rays that more closely resemble A. narinari (e.g., Safari Ltd. and Papo). Because most spotted eagle ray figures are usually not marketed at the species level, and there is variability among some of the species, it is difficult to determine the frequency of this species in toy/figure form. I do not know of any figures specifically marketed as A. ocellatus but another likely candidates are the 1998 version by Play Visions and the 1999 Yowie by Cadbury (based on current delineations, A. narinari is restricted to the Atlantic, which would support A. ocellatus for the Yowie figure, which most-certainly represents an Australian species).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indo-West Pacific
Habitat: Benthopelagic, in coastal waters and estuaries; at depths of 1-100 meters (usually 20-25 meters)
Diet: Hard-shelled benthic invertebrates, such as crustaceans (including hermit crabs), gastropods, bivalves; also cephalopods, worms, fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Vulnerable
Miscellaneous Notes: Aetobatus ocellatus is adapted for feeding on hard-shelled invertebrates, including crustaceans and shelled mollusks. The eagle ray possesses specialized chevron-shaped tooth plates in the lower jaw that can crush the hard exoskeletons of crustaceans and the shells of mollusks and hermit crabs.

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