Ficalbia Theobald, 1903.
Subfamily Culicinae. Ficalbiini includes 54 species divided between two genera, Ficalbia (8 species) and Mimomyia (46 species).
Adults of tribe Ficalbiini exhibit some overlapping features with other groups, but they are quite characteristic and fairly easy to recognise. The larvae and pupae vary considerably but also share a number of characters with other tribes. Larvae exhibit similarities to Mansonia and Culiseta, but are readily separated from both in the complete or almost complete absence of a hypostomal suture and by the median position of seta 1-S on the siphon (except for genus Ficalbia). See Culicinae.
A number of similarities between the larvae and pupae of some species of Ficalbiini and Mansoniini, e.g. specializations for obtaining oxygen from submerged plant parts, are suggestive of a phylogenetic relationship, but this is not supported by the results of the cladistic analysis of mosquito genera conducted by Harbach & Kitching (1998). Edwards (1932) and Mattingly & Grjebine (1958) suggested a relationship with Hodgesiini, Orthopodomyiini and Uranotaeniini but the cladistic analyses of Harbach & Kitching (1998) indicated a possible close affinity with only Hodgesiini and Uranotaeniini. The morphological data included in the latter study do not support the monophyly of the tribe, i.e. the two genera of the tribe were not recovered as sister taxa. This supports Mattingly's (1981) opinion that Ficalbia and Mimomyia are more distantly related than their inclusion in the same tribe would suggest.
Species of tribe Ficalbiini are found in bodies of ground water with dense vegetation or in various types of plant containers, such as tree holes, leaf axils and pitchers plants. Several species of Mimomyia have a piercing siphon in the larva and piercing trumpets in the pupa that are used to obtain oxygen from the submerged parts of aquatic plants. Very little is known about the bionomics of the adults. Several species occasionally bite humans both indoors and outdoors, but none of the species are serious pests. Most species appear to be active at night.
Members of the tribe are not known to be of medical or economic importance.
Ficalbiini is an Old World taxon. The species mainly occur in the tropical areas of western Africa and the Oriental and Australasian Regions. Three species extend into the eastern Palaearctic.
Belkin, 1962 (South Pacific, systematics, as genus Ficalbia). See genera Ficalbia and Mimomyia.