Illex

Illex, commonly known as shortfin squids, is a genus of squid in the family Ommastrephidae and the only member of the subfamily Illicinae. It contains four species: Illex argentinus, Argentine shortfin squid Illex coindetii, southern shortfin squid Illex illecebrosus, northern shortfin squid Illex oxygonius, sharptail shortfin squid

== Molecular systematics == A 2006 study evaluated the taxonomy of the squid genus Illex using molecular data from the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. Traditionally, the genus has included four recognized species: Illex illecebrosus, Illex coindetii, Illex oxygonius, and Illex argentinus. I. argentinus is the most morphologically distinct and occurs in the South Atlantic Ocean, while the three North Atlantic species overlap geographically and display significant morphological variability, making them difficult to distinguish based on physical characteristics alone.