 The closest living relatives of antlions within the Myrmeleontoidea are the owlflies ( Ascalaphidae ) ; the Nymphidae are more distantly related . The extinct Araripeneuridae and Babinskaiidae are considered likely to be stem groups in the Myrmeleontiformia clade . The phylogeny of the Neuroptera has been explored using mitochondrial DNA sequences , and while issues remain for the group as a whole ( the " Hemerobiiformia " being paraphyletic ) , the Myrmeleontiformia is generally agreed to be monophyletic , giving the following cladogram : 
