Megalopta

Megalopta's apposition eyes are thirty times more sensitive to light than diurnal bees, but even this does not explain the accuracy of their vision.

They have large ocellar lenses and the percent area of the retina covered by the rhabdom is five times higher than diurnal bees.

[10] Megalopta ocelli have a dorsal rim, where the photoreceptors are sensitive to polarized light, such as from the rising or setting sun.

[14] Despite having the superficial anatomy for polarized light directionality detection, the rhabdom are "worm-shaped" and arranged radially, which negates this ability.

[10] Meglopta also lack pigments in their ocelli that detect short-wavelength light, perhaps a result of their jungle habitat.

Their nests have a distinctive collar around the entrance made of chewed wood and consist of a large hollow tunnel and several cells.

[16] Eusocial communities have an overlap of generations of nest-mates, meaning that two or more broods must be laid and hatch during the mating season.

[4][17] Eggs laid in a drier dry season usually produce numerically more, larger individuals that are involved in reproduction, as opposed to a comparatively wet dry season, which produces fewer, smaller workers.

The in-nest females generally stay in the nest and guard the entrance, as well as hygiene-oriented tasks.

[15] Halictinae are mass-provisional, meaning they cache the food necessary for larval growth before the eggs are laid and do not interact with larvae during development.

[16] Another parental behavior performed by foundresses is hygienic-based: the removal of faeces from cells that produced healthy adults.

In comparison to male or female individuals who have bimodal foraging periods, the gynandromorph's activity was shifted significantly earlier in the day.

[8] It is important to note that this study was based on a single specimen and generalizations about gynandromorphy in Megalopta cannot be made.

Significant brood parasites include Lophostigma cincta, a mutilid wasp, and cleptoparasitic Megalopta species.

[15] Parkia velutina is pollinated by Megalopta[7] Cogener cleptoparasitism has been observed in the subgenus Noctoraptor.

[20] Noctoraptor can be differentiated from other Megalopta by anatomical differences that are linked to parasitism, including a reduced scopa, large scythe-shaped mandibles, and the lack of a basitibial plate.

[20] In newer literature, instead of being classified into the two subgenera, the divisions are made between five species groups: Aegis, Amoena, Yanomami, Byroni, and Sodalis.

Megalopta, Megommation, and Megaloptidia form a single clade with a dim-light foraging ancestor.