I was involved in different smaller projects, for example, in the developmental biology of phasmids (stick insects).

In my bachelor project I investigated the morphology of giant larvae of polychelid crustaceans. For overview images of an extant larva, also called eryoneicus, I used high-resolution 3D-photographs. Besides the overview images I also dissected the larva's mouthparts, limbs and antennae, and documented those with a fluorescence microscope. During preparation I managed to dissect the larva's gizzard and its masticatory organs. In this way, I could offer assumptions about the diet and thus about the life habits of this larva, which cannot be inspected in its natural habitat.

For the documentation of fossil representatives I took advantage of the autofluorescence of the cuticle residuals in the fossils (like in the extant larva) and documented these with a fluorescence microscope. A comparison of extant larvae with their fossil representatives showed that the latter ones had much less specialised larval stages.

Publications:

Eiler, S. M., Haug, C. & Haug, J. T. 2016. Detailed description of a giant polychelidan eryoneicus-type larva with modern imaging techniques (Eucrustacea, Decapoda, Polychelida). Spixiana 39, 39–60. Free access PDF Suppl.

Eiler, S. M. & Haug, J. T. 2016. Larval development of fossil polychelidan crustaceans, exemplified by the 150 million years old species Palaeopentacheles roettenbacheri. Neues Jahrbuch fur Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen 279, 295–310. DOI 10.1127/njgpa/2016/0557

Conference contributions:

Eiler, S. M. & Haug, J. T. 2015. Evolution larvaler Merkmale polychelider Krebse bis hin zur hochspezialisierten modernen Riesenlarve. Crustaceologentagung, Bremerhaven (Poster).

Eiler, S. M. & Haug, J. T. 2015. Larvalentwicklung fossiler polychelider Krebse am Beispiel von Palaeopentacheles roettenbacheri. Crustaceologentagung, Bremerhaven (Poster).

Eiler, S. M. 2014. Entwicklungsbiologie fossiler polychelider Krebse am Beispiel Palaeopentacheles roettenbacheri. Paläoentomologentreffen, München (Talk).

Eiler, S. M., Haug, C. & Haug, J. T. 2014. New details of polychelid crustaceans including their giant larvae. International Crustacean Congress, Frankfurt (Poster).