[Aegla platensis Schmitt, 1942 (Decapoda: Anomura) a predator of immature stages of Simuliidae (Diptera: Culicomorpha)].

For the first time, preferential predation of larvae and pupae of Simuliidae by the crustacean, Aegla platensis Schmitt, 1942, was observed in the field and in the laboratory. Field observations and collections were done in the Carpintaria stream, Dois Irmãos, Country Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The possibility of using this freshwater crab in an integrated control of Simuliidae is discussed.