In the course of my PhD studies I will investigate the body organisation of early euchelicerates, including xiphosurans, eurypterids and scorpions. My focus lies on the border between the anterior and posterior body region (tagmata). A combination of different documentation techniques (e.g. macrophotography using cross-polarized and fluorescent light, microCT) will provide new insights into this body region. With these results I will shed light on the evolution of specific traits within the early euchelicerate lineage.

During my master thesis I investigated morphological differences in different mantis shrimps (Stomatopoda). For this purpose, I compared two mantis shrimp faunas as well as adult stomatopods versus larval ones. The results point to a large larval morphological diversity exceeding that of the adults by far. Subsequently this also highlights the impact of larvae for their ecosystem.

During a research internship I investigated the individual development of Triops cancriformis. This crustacean species is often called 'living fossil', which means that the species is supposed to have remained unchanged since many millions of years. In my studies, I compared extant and fossil (Upper Triassic, 235–200 million years) representatives to test this general assumption. For this purpose, I documented different ontogenetic stages of fossil and extant representatives photographically. Based on these images, the shield and the trunk were measured. Statistical tests were used to test if there are significant differences in the ontogeny between these fossil and extant triopsids.

Publications:

Haug, C., Wagner, P. & Haug, J. T. 2019. The evolutionary history of body organisation in the lineage towards modern scorpions. Bulletin of Geosciences 94, 389–408. Free access PDF

Wagner, P., Haug, J. T. & Haug, C. 2019. A new calmanostracan crustacean species from the Cretaceous Yixian Formation and a simple approach for differentiating fossil tadpole shrimps and their relatives. Zoological Letters 5, 20. Free access PDF

Haug, C., Wagner, P., Bjarsch, J. M., Braig, F. & Haug, J. T. 2018. A new “extreme” type of mantis shrimp larva. Nauplius 26, e2018019. Free access PDF

Wagner, P., Haug, J. T., Sell, J. & Haug, C. 2018. A fossil crustacean from the Upper Triassic of southern Germany with kazacharthran affinities. Paleontological Research 22, 57–63. DOI 10.2517/2017PR010

Hübner, J., Wagner, P., Lehmann, T. & Melzer, R. R. 2017. Testing species delimitation with larval morphology: scanning electron microscopy analysis of protonymphon larvae of two closely related sea spiders, Pallenopsis patagonica (Hoek) and Pallenopsis yepayekae Weis. Invertebrate Systematics 31, 363–374. DOI 10.1071/IS16050

Wagner, P., Dömel, J. S., Hofmann, M., Hübner, J., Leese, F. & Melzer, R. R. 2017. Comparative study of bisected proboscides of Pycnogonida. Organisms Diversity & Evolution 17, 121–135.

DOI 10.1007/s13127-016-0310-6

Wagner, P., Haug, J. T., Sell, J. & Haug, C. 2017. Ontogenetic sequence comparison of extant and fossil tadpole shrimps: no support for the “living fossil” concept. PalZ 91, 463–472. DOI 10.1007/s12542-017-0370-8

Haug, J. T., Rudolf, N. R., Wagner, P., Gundi, P. T., Fetzer, L.-L. & Haug, C. 2016. An intermetamorphic larval stage of a mantis shrimp and its contribution to the 'missing-element problem' of stomatopod raptorial appendages. Annual Research & Review in Biology 10(3), 1–19. Free access PDF

Conference contributions:

Talks:

Wagner, P., Braig F., Haug C., Haug J. T. (2017). Morphological diversity of mantis shrimps: Ontogeny in focus. 110. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Zoologischen Gesellschaft, Bielefeld, 12.09.–15.09.2017.

Wagner, P., Nagler C., Haug J. T. (2017). Erschließung neuer Lebensräume am Beispiel nicht-mariner Krebse: erste Ergebnisse einer evolutionshistorischen Betrachtung. 18. Crustaceologentagung, Berlin, 30.03.–02.04.2017.

Wagner, P., Haug J. T., Haug C. (2015). Wie statisch ist Stasis: Individualentwicklung triassischer Triopsiden. Paläoentomologentreffen, Bonn, 25.–26.09.2015.

Poster:

Wagner P.,  Haug J. T., Haug C. (2017). Morpho-ecospace concept: a comparison between larvae and adults in mantis shrimps. International Congress on Invertebrate Morphology (ICIM4), Moscow (Russia), 18.08.–23.08.2017.

Wagner P., Dömel J. S., Hofmann M., Hübner J., Leese F., Melzer R. R. (2017). Vergleichende Rüsselforschung: REM Aufnahmen von Pantopoda. 18. Crustaceologentagung, Berlin, 30.03.–02.04.2017.

Bjarsch J., Kiesmüller C., Kolb T., Biging A., Brück L., Chretien J., Gauweiler J., Kammerer D., Klaffke K., Kraemer P., Nagler C., Wagner P., Richter A.-C., Hörnig M., Haug C., Haug J. T. (2017): Studentische Exkursion mal anders – ab in die Sammlung. 18. Crustaceologentagung, Berlin, 30.03.–02.04.2017.

Wagner P., Nagler C., Haug J. T., Haug C. (2017). One giant leap for crustaceans to non-marine habitats: New insights on Ebullitiocaris oviformis from the Rhynie chert (Early Devonian, Scotland). Jahrestagung der Paläontologischen Gesellschaft, Münster, 26.–29.03.2017.

Wagner P., Haug J. T., Haug C. (2016). Crustacean mouth parts: New insights from the Rhynie chert. Annual meeting of the “Palaeontological Association”, Lyon (France), 14.12.–16.12.2016.

Wagner P., Haug J. T., Haug C. (2016). Ontogenetic species delineation of fossil and extant tadpole shrimps: no support for a “living fossil” concept. Jahrestagung der Paläontologischen Gesellschaft Dresden, 11.09.–15.09.2016.

Hübner J., Wagner P., Melzer R. R. (2016). Testing species delimitation with larval morphology: SEM analysis of protonymphon larvae of two closely related pantopods, Pallenopsis patagonica (Hoek, 1881) and Pallenopsis yepayekae Weis, 2014. Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Biologische Systematik (GfBS), München, 21.02.–24.02.2016.

Wagner P., Haug J. T., Haug C. (2016). Shifts in ontogeny: Species delineation of fossil and extant tadpole shrimps. Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Biologische Systematik (GfBS, München, 21.02.–24.02.2016.

Wagner P., Dömel J. S., Hofmann M., Hübner J., Leese F., Melzer R. R. (2016). Comparative Trunk Research: SEM studies of bisected proboscides of Pantopoda. Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Biologische Systematik (GfBS), München, 21.02.–24.02.2016.

Wagner P., Haug J. T., Haug C. (2015). Die Ontogenese von Triops cancriformis heute und vor mehr als 200 Millionen Jahren: Das Ende eines „lebenden Fossils“. Crustaceologentagung, Bremerhaven 2015, 26.03.–29.03.2015.

Additional conference attendances:

01.11.2014: Paläoentomologentreffen München

05.04.2014: Jahrestagung der südbayer. Fledermausschützer, München

Research visits:

08.01.–12.01.2018: Centrum für Naturkunde (CeNak), Hamburg

17.07.–29.07.2017: National Museum Prague (NMP), SYNTHESYS project (CZ-TAF-6883)

09.01.–13.01.2017: Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin

04.10–-07.10.2016: Ruđer Bošković Institute, Rovinj (HRV)

15.–16.12.2015: Research project in Savudrija (HRV)

05.05.2015: Museum Terra Triassica, Euerdorf

Grants, fellowships:

2018: DAAD Rise Germany Project

2017: SYNTHESYS Project (CZ-TAF-6883), National Museum in Prague (NMP) (3185 €)

Memberships:

since 2017: International Society for Invertebrate Morphology (ISIM)
since 2017: German Society for Zoology (DZG)
since 2017: Graduate School of Life Science Munich (LSM)
since 2016: German society for Palaeontology (PalGes)