Mimocalla capitata (Loew, 1863):55

Thompson and Zumbado (2000) gave a compelte description of the subgenus Mimocalla. This subgenus is readily distinguished from all other groups of Ocyptamus by: 1) strongly petiolate and clavate abdomen; 2) large size; 3) enlarged male genitalia including a modified 4th sternum; 5) vein R4+5 sinuate; 6) vein M1 sigmoid; and 7) metatrochanter with a strong pile tuft. In appearance Mimocalla can only be confused with O. (Theranta) conjunctus, but Mimocalla is readily distinguished by the sinuate vein R4+5 and short antenna (Thompson and Zumbado 2000).

Ocyptamus capitatus is similar to tristani and bonariensis in having distinctive yellow pollinose vittae on mesonotum, but differs from these species in having a yellow scutellum and the apex of the abdomen orange to brownish orange (Thompson and Zumbado 2000).

Ocyptamus (Mimocalla) capitatus (Loew, 1863).

Loew, H. (1863) Diptera Americae septentrionalis indigena. Centuria tertia. Berliner Entomologische Zeitschrift 7, 1-55.

The species capitatus was described as Baccha, but Thompson et al. (1976) placed it under Ocyptamus. Before, Hull (1943) described the subgenus Baccha (Mimocalla) for those species with a stronly petiolate, clubbed abdomen and greatly enlarged hypopygium, but also with a looped vein R4+5 and sigmoid M1. Thompson and Zumbado (2000) designated the lectotype.

Synonyms:

Baccha capitata Loew 1863: 14.

Ocyptamus captitatus: Thompson et aI. 1976: 14; Thompson 1981: 44 (figs. (abdomen pattern, male genitalia, wing), West Indies).

Doros insularis Bigot 1883: 330.

Xanthogramma insulare: Aldrich 1905: 369 (cat. cit.); Kertesz 1910: 152 (cat. cit.).

Ocyptamus insularis: Thompson et al. 1976: 20 (cat. cit.).

Baccha carlota Curran 1929: 49.

Ocyptamus carlota: Thompson et al. 1976: 14.

From Thompson and Zumbado (2000).

MALE.

Head: Face yellow, with light brown media. vitta, sparsely white pollinose laterally, only densely pollinose narrowly along eye margin, white pilose except black pilose ventrad to antenna; gena yellow, shiny, bare; lunule brown except yellow submedially; frontal triangle yellow except brown along lunule, black pilose; vertical triangle black, black pllose; occiput black except yellow on ventral 1/5, densely golden pollinose becoming more brownish on dorsal 1/3, yellow pilose except pile more golden dorsally; antenna orange except more brownish orange on dorsoapical 3/4 of basoflagellomere, black pilose; basoflagellomere elongate, slightly less than twice as long as wide.

Thorax: Mainly black with yellow maculae; postpronotum yellow; scutum black except with broad yellow vitta running from postpronotum to and including anterior 1/2 of postalar callus but broadly interrupted behind transverse suture and dorsad to wing base, with vitta about as wide as postpronotum, with black areas black pollinose except for broad golden pollinose submedial vitta which tapers posteriorly and does not reach scutellum and a very narrow indistinct brown pollinose medial vitta on anterior 2/3 which expands into a broader golden pollinose vitta at level of postalar callus, long yellow pilose anteriorly and laterally, short intermixed black and yellow pile elsewhere; scutellum yellow except disc blackish, short sparse black pilose with a few intermixed yellow pili basally; subscutellar fringe singular, white; pleuron black except yellow dorsad to procoxa and broadly yellow on posterior anepisternum,
dorsal 1/2 of katepisternum and anterior 1/2 anepimeron, very sparsely white pollinose except denser dorsally on katepisternum, yellow pilose; plumula very short, yellow; calypter yellowish white except dorsal margin brownish; halter yellow. Legs: Procoxa brownish black except yellow apex, sparsely gray pollinose, yellow pilose; mesocoxa black, black pilose medially, yellow pilose laterally; metacoxa black, long black pilose with a few intermixed yellow pili laterally; protrochanter yellowish brown; mesotrochanter brownish black; metatrochanter black, long black pilose; profemur yellow, yellow pilose; mesofemur yellow except black on basodorsal 1/3, yellow pilose except for a row of black
pili on dorsoposterior surface; metafemur black except yellow apical 1/5, black pilose except yellow pilose on yellow area; pro and mesotibiae and tarsi yellow, yellow pilose; metatibia black except yellow basal 1/3 and apex, black pilose; metatarsus yellow, yellow pilose. Wing: Brown anteriorly, hyaline posteriorly, microtrichose except bare cell R posterior to spurious vein on apical 1/3, cell BM, anterobasal 1/3 of cell CuP, cell R4+5 posterior to spurious vein, narrowly on basoposteriorly in cell DM, basomedial 1/3of cell CuAl, anterior to vein A2; alula bare, normal, as wide as cell CUP; brown areas including base and extending posteriorly to vein M to level of end of vein RS, to spurious vein in apical portionof cell R, to vein R4+5 except narrowly hyaline along sinuate portion.

Abdomen: Dark brown with yellow fasciae and orange apex; 1st tergum yellow except brownish black apicomedial 1/3, yellow pilose; 2nd tergum brownish black except for yellow basolateral triangular macula, with maculae broadly separated medially, yellow pilose basolaterally, black pilose elsewhere; 3rd tergum yellow on basal 1/3, brownish black apically, yellow pilose on yellow area, black pilose elsewhere; 4th tergum brown except with yellow basal fascia which is narrowly isolated from lateral margin and occupies basal 1/4, with apical portion of tergum becoming more orange, black pilose; 5th tergum orange, black pilose; genitalia yellowish orange, black pilose; 1st sternum yellow, yellow pilose; 2nd sternum brown except yellow basally, yellow pilose; 3rd sternum brown except yellow basal 1/3, black pilose except yellow pilose basally; 4th sternum brown, brown pilose; 5th sternum orange except yellow apically, brown pilose. Male genitalia: See Figs. 56a-c in Thompson (1981: 59); essentially the same as tristani.

FEMALE.

Similar to male except for normal sexual dimorphism and frons yellow except may be darker medially and along lunule, orange pollinose except 'maybe more brownish medially, short black pilose.

Variation. The brownish black color in some examined individuals is brownish orange; also the antenna may be entirely orange and scutellum entirely yellow.

Length: body, 14 mm; wing, 11 mm (Thompson and Zumbado 2000).

Thompson and Zumbado (2000) commented about possible sister groups for Mimocalla. They mentioned that the likely sister to Mimocalla is O. conjunctus Wiedemann and the sister to O. conjunctus + Mimocalla is O. sargoides Macquart.

Within the subgenus, and based on characters of the male genitalia, Thompson and Zumbado (2000) suggested these relationships: (giganteus + willistoni) + ((bonariensis + erebus) + (nymphaea + (capitatus + tristani))).

Larvae of O. capitatus were found feeding on Saissetia hemisphaerica (Coccidae) on coffe plants in Puerto Rico (Wolcott 1948).

Species only known from the West Indies (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Lesser Antilles).