About Pediasia contaminella Hübner, 1796
Pediasia contaminella (Hübner, 1796) is a species of moth in the family Crambidae, first described by Jacob Hübner in 1796. This moth can be found across almost all of Europe, as well as in Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Iraq, Iran, the Kopet Dagh range, and the Minusinsk region. Its wingspan measures 17–19 mm. It can be distinguished from the closely related species Pediasia aridella by traits of its forewings: it lacks a blackish submedian streak starting from the base of the forewing, its median line is less oblique, has a more strongly marked discal indentation, and runs nearly parallel to the second line. Adult moths are active on the wing during the months of July and August. The species' larvae feed on various grass species in the genera Poa (including Poa maritima and Poa borreri) and Festuca ovina. Larvae of Pediasia contaminella live inside a silken tube.
