A capodecina (literally 'head of ten', also called caporegime in the American Mafia) is the head of a decina, a branch within a Mafia family. In the larger families, a capodecina is selected by the head of the family and coordinates units of about ten people. The Mafioso Melchiorre Allegra spoke of a "capo della decina" in his 1937 testimony. He said a family split into groups of ten men each when it became unmanageably large.