Ant-lions comprise the family Myrmeleontidae, one of the sixteen families of the order Neuroptera, which includes the familiar lacewings, amongst others less well known. With around 2,000 species worldwide, the adults exhibit a striking sequence of forms from tiny grey species to some of the largest and most spectacular of all insects: an adult Palpares inclemens, for example, a resident of the coastal sand dunes of Natal, has a wing span of 170mm.