The discovery of lungfish (Dipnoi) in 1837 instantly became a zoological sensation. Because of their amphibian affinities, these fishes were generally considered a transitional form between aquatic vertebrates and tetrapods. Due to substantial morphological differences between recent lungfishes and early fossil forms of tetrapods this position was later questioned and the main focus switched to the coelacanth and its fossil relatives. However, the advent of genome analyses has reshaped our views. After 170 years of intensive research, the 6 species of dipnoans now indeed appear to be the closest living relatives of land vertebrates.