Prof. dr. Dušan Devetak's homepage

Contact information: Prof. dr. Dušan Devetak Department of Biology, University of Maribor Koroška 160, SI-2000 Maribor Telephone: +386 2 22 93 710 E-mail: dusan.devetak@uni-mb.si Slovenska verzija

Current Areas of Research

Themes: Ecophysiology of Neuroptera Structure and function of scolopidial organs in green lacewings Predatory behaviour in Neuroptera. Substrate vibration communication in antlions Neuroptera (Neuropterida) in Slovenia and in the Balkan Peninsula

Selected publications

	Detection of substrate vibration in Neuroptera Leg scolopidial organs have been studied in green-lacewings (Chrysopidae). The ultrastructure of the scolopidium – a morphological unit of the subgenual and femoral chordotonal organ – is detailed in Chrysoperla. From four different leg scolopidial organs only the subgenual organs and probably also femoral chordotonal organs are actual receptors for substrate vibration.
	An area of particular interest to me is predatory behaviour in antlion larvae. In two European species it was shown that substrate vibration signals had an important role in prey detection and its recognition. Collaborators: Sasa Lipovsek Delakorda, Bojana Mencinger-Vracko, Andreja Spernjak, Martin Vernik and Marko Marhl (www.marhl.com).

Teaching Activities

Systematic Zoology of Invertebrates and Animal Physiology are graduate courses; Sensory Systems; Ecophysiology of Arthropods (together with Prof. T. Novak); Ecophysiology of sensory receptors, orientation and communication (together with Prof. K. Kral, Graz) and Entomology are post-graduate courses.