Mathison Museum of Natural History

Species: Allomyrina dichotoma (Linnaeus, 1771)
Common name(s): Japanese rhinoceros beetle; kabutomushi

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bandai
Series: Diversity of Life on Earth - Beetles Vols. 2 and 7
Years of Production: 2021; 2024
Size/Scale: Wingspan of adult, as displayed here, approx. 18.5 cm. Body length (incl. cephalic horn) of adult approx. 10.5 cm for a scale of 2.6:1-1.3:1. Pupa approx. 9.3 cm for a scale of 2.3:1-1.2:1 based on adult metrics.
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the fifteenth time we have seen A. dichotoma in the Museum. For both of these models, assembly is required, and the adult has several points of articulation. Allomyrina dichotoma is the most commonly made species of insect. The adult here is from one of the early Diversity collections, before I knew what the series would become and before I narrowed my acceptance criteria for insect figures out of Japan. Since this adult was released, the species has been produced at least seven more times for the Diversity line, including the pupa shown here today that came out earlier this year. I had no intention of purchasing the pupa, but it was accidentally sent to me by a dealer I work with regularly and he let me keep it for free, so I retained it (despite how common this species is in our hobby, there are still very few figures of its immature stages).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Asia, including China, Korean Peninsula, Taiwan, and Japan
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical hardwood forests
Diet: Larvae feed on organic detritus in soil; adults are attracted to sap and overripe fruit
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Gravid female A. dichotoma scatter their eggs in the humus portion of the soil, usually from July to September. The larvae feed on humus and other organic detritus in the soil and pupate from June-July the following year. Adults eclose a couple months after pupating. The entire life cycle from oviposition to eclosion is approximately one year.

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Species: Xylotrupes gideon (Linnaeus, 1767)
Common name(s): brown rhinoceros beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: AAA
Series: Insects
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (incl. horns) approx. 6.0 cm, within scale 1:1 and up to 1:1.2 for a large major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the second time we've seen X. gideon in the Museum. This figure came in a polybag set of mostly otherwise generic insects and the identification is my own.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeast Asia, from India to Indonesia, Solomon Islands, Moluccas, Papua New Guinea, eastern Australia
Habitat: Forests, palm plantations, suburban areas
Diet: Larvae feed in decaying logs; adults feed on bark, branches, midribs, flowers, and sap of host trees
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Xyotrupes gideon is considered a pest of several commercial plants throughout its range, including coconut palm, banana, plum, oil palm, sugarcane, rubber, bamboo, cacao, litchi, apple, pear, Chinese cinnamon, potato, and okra.

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Species: Lamprima adolphinae (Gestro, 1875)
Common name(s): green stag beetle; New Guinea stag beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kabaya
Series: World Insect Series 1
Year of Production: 2001
Size/Scale: Body length (incl. mandibles) approx. 5.8 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon to rare
Miscellaneous Notes: This is our third look at L. adolphinae in the Museum. Figures in this set painted with the gold paint can be brittle, and I have had some crumble and have to be replaced (although I can't remember off-hand if this was one of them...).

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: New Guinea
Habitat: Montane rainforests
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting wood of several plants infested with fungi (white rot); adults feed on fruit and sap flows
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: This species is very popular with collectors and breeders, but appears to have a thriving population in nature and does not seem to be negatively affected by collecting. Despite their popularity, little is known about their natural biology.

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