Genus
Lasioglossum
Lasioglossum pavonotus. Photo: (c) Bill Rodstrom, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
The sweat bee genus Lasioglossum is the largest of all bee genera, containing over 1700 species in numerous subgenera worldwide. They are highly variable in size, coloration, and sculpture; among the more unusual variants, some are cleptoparasites, some are nocturnal, and some are oligolectic. Most Lasioglossum species nest in the ground, but some nest in rotten logs.