Nocturnal vision: bees in the dark.
Some eyes work better in the dark than others. The apposition type of compound eye that bees and other diurnal insects possess is usually of little use after nightfall. Nevertheless some tropical sweat bees have pushed the limits of this unfavourable design so far that they can navigate using landmarks that are too dim for humans to make out.
School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK. M.F.Land@sussex.ac.uk
Michael F
MF
Land
D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity; D003624:Darkness; D005123:Eye / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D017956:Photoreceptor Cells, Invertebrate / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D014785:Vision, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*